Chapter 1: chapter 1- Atlanta
Chapter Text
“You really think we’ll find a way out this way?” Glenn asked panting, following behind a determined Rick Grimes through a surprisingly elaborate sewage system.
They had been walking through the wide, slimy corridor for around ten maybe fifteen minutes when Rick stopped. “Alright- let’s go up ‘n check.” he pointed to the circular flap of thick metal that would evidently be their exit from the smelly tunnel in the ground. Glenn sighed, relieved to be leaving the sledge that went up to his calves, even if it was only momentarily. Rick began to climb the slick rungs that were welded to the walls.
Once Glenn joined Rick at the surface, he looked around, taking notice of their surroundings. “C’mon, stairs are over here, keep quiet and alert.” Rick whispered to Glenn as he pulled his pistol out of his holster, preparing to leave what looked like a basement- much like the basement they had entered the sewer from; felt trippy to the younger man.
As they slowly crept up the stairs, Glenn held his breath; he not only hoped there were no geeks in the building they had just entered, but he prayed there was none surrounding the building. If not, the chances of everyone making it out of the stupid city were even slimmer.
He was relieved after they found nothing in the first room they found besides the basement- a lobby, they decided. Most likely an apartment building.
The two men stared as they walked past the rough wood that covered the majority of the wall opposite from the side that the stairs led to. They had gone up only about a dozen steps, into a small room that opened to the backside of the front desk. “We’ll go up- find a window on one of the higher floors and see if we’re still surrounded.” Glenn spoke, taking a quick glance at the left wall, the skeleton of an elevator. Glenn assumed the doors had been pried open during the panic of the original outbreak- people in a hurry to all escape, but only one metal box.
Luckily, there was a door to the right that had a sign that read ‘stairs’. Rick nodded towards it and they both walked towards the door. It opened with a long creak, revealing what was once a regular old stairwell. Now, it was littered with old clothes, bags, pictures- really all kinda of items. Forgotten in the panic, in the end of the world. Glenn frowned as he spotted each forgotten item, knowing its owner was likely long gone.
The two ascended up the stairs, winding around and around until Rick stopped in front of one of the doors- Glenn had counted about three floors.
A click was heard as he pushed against the metal bar of the heavy push door, the door groaning as it slowly opened. They peeked down the hall, slowly checking for any sort of danger. “Looks clear,” Rick spoke quietly, “c’mon.” He walked forward with Glenn following suit, nervous. It would be easy for one of those monsters to get trapped up there, it felt like watching a horror movie when the tense music starts playing; he waited for something to jump out at him, he was on the edge of his seat.
Surprisingly, nothing happened. It was almost worse that way, in Glenn’s opinion. After looking down the long, dimly lit hall and spotting nothing dangerous, they approached the nearest door that had been left wide open; one of many, another eerie factor of the abandoned place.
When they entered the small apartment, they saw what anyone would expect; a small kitchen, a sofa sat in front of a nice tv, and a hall that probably led to a bathroom and a bedroom or two.
The only thing that could be considered abnormal was all the open and empty drawers, or all the knives missing. Maybe also the corpse slumped down in the corner.
It was a man, sitting with a bloody pistol in his right hand and an envelope in his left. The dark red, almost brown splattered across the white wall like a beautiful abstract painting- Glenn almost swore he saw it before in a museum during a school field trip.
“Shit” he spoke, shaking his head at the dead guy, “should we uh… read the note?” Glenn looked at him and Rick shook his head in response. “Not for us. Died a long time ago- probably right when everything went bad, thought the military would come or something and his friends would all be alive to read it and feel sorry for him.” his face wore a frown as he continued to stare at the slowly rotting corpse. “Lucky he went for the head.”
Glenn nodded, finally pulling his eyes away from the man he walked towards the small window on the wall opposite from the front door. He looked down at the streets below. “Shit,” he hissed, looking down at the walkers that still swarmed the streets; not as many as where they came from, but still too many.
“Should we keep going further? Through the sewer like fucking ninja turtles until we find a clear path out?” Glenn asked, still staring at the dead people walking around. “I mean, what else can we do? How far down the street can we see from here-” “freeze.” Rick stopped as a voice spoke from behind them. “Hands up and put your weapons down. Now.” Glenn looked to Rick, fear and confusion in his eyes. Was that a-?
“Little girl, we won’t hurt you, so you have no reason to hurt us I promise you-” “I said drop. Them. Now.”
Chapter 2: chapter 2- reunions and introductions
Summary:
Maeve is brought back to camp and meets the rest of the group
Notes:
HI! sorry I've been sorta MIA for the past couple weeks, I've been sorta busy and just dealing with a lot mentally. BUT im back now and feeling better so hopefully you'll be getting more chapters soon and I can go back to weekly updates. I'm real excited for this fic because I was kinda really disappointed in how the original fic was turning out, so it's nice to start fresh and add any things I felt were missing :)
anywaysss i hope you are all doing well and enjoy this sorta short chapter!
Chapter Text
“Okay- okay” Rick spoke, eyeing the large shotgun the little girl was holding- if it wasn’t being pointed at him, it would’ve almost been comical.
He slowly lowered himself, crouching until he was close enough to the ground to lightly place his gun down and give it a gentle kick in her direction. Glenn followed his lead, doing the same. “We aren’t here to hurt you, we swear. Are you alone here?” he asked trying to keep his calm despite being completely backed into a corner- and by a little girl, no less.
“My mama should be back soon. She’ll kill both of ya’.” the girl spoke in a clear tone, only a slight wave from time to time.
Rick had to admit it- he was scared of the little girl. She looked no older than his own son Carl, who was only twelve. She had wavy brown hair, cut just above her shoulders. She was small too- not just because she was a child, but he could tell she was small for her age; and yet, she held the gun steady with a look of confidence in her eye.
“Where is your mother? Where’d she go?” he asked. Maybe her mother could help them- if they lived here, maybe they knew a way out of the city. The girl paused before responding. her expression dropped, a sudden frown painted on her face. “She went to go find more food. We were beginning to run out.” Rick felt his heart break a bit as he noticed her eyes begin to gloss over. “Okay. How long ago did she leave?” He almost wished he hadn’t asked when her tears finally began to fall. “I dunno.” They both sighed in relief as she lowered the gun slightly, wiping her tears. “What do you mean you don’t know?” Glenn asked. “I don’t know- maybe a few weeks.” Rick’s heart shattered; they all knew her mother was long dead. “Well you must be almost out of food, now- you know I’m a police officer, my name is Rick. This is Glenn, and he has a camp with more people and food. Would you want to maybe come with us?” She thought for a second at Rick’s offer, but then shook her head. “No. My mama should be back soon- She wont know where to find me.” she sniffled some more, finally lowering the gun completely. “Okay, okay.” he paused to think before speaking once again. “Can you tell me your name?” he found himself crouching again, lowering himself to her level. “Maeve.” she laughed a bit, to their surprise. “My mama always told me not to tell my name to cops, though. Said I can’t trust ‘em.” Rick smiled a bit, and Glenn had to cover his mouth as he snickered. “Well I uh- I promise I’m a good cop. You can trust me, Maeve.” She thought for a moment, then nodded. “Now, how about this- we leave a note for your mama telling her where our camp is, so when she returns she’ll know where to find you, and you come with us. Deal?” “deal.” she replied, nodding again.
-
By the time they got back down into the sewers, the girl still refused to give up her gun. “I promise you won’t need it, Maeve. Just let me carry it, okay?” Rick would try to coax, and she would just shake her head and tell him no. Rick was uncomfortable letting the little girl hold the loaded gun, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.
“So how old are you Maeve?” Glenn asked, trying to start a conversation with the girl he held in his arms as they trudged back through the foul smelling water. “Eleven,” she said, “turning twelve in October.” Glenn nodded. “You’re getting to be pretty old then, huh? Hey Rick, how old did you say your son is?” he asked the older man ahead of them. “Twelve,” he answered, “just had his birthday in June.” his voice sounded sad, and Glenn felt bad for bringing up his missing son.
“Y’know there’s kids at our camp,” Glenn spoke again, “most of ‘em around your age I think. How does that sound?” “Good,” she responded, smiling. “Here” Rick's voice rang out from in front of them. They looked over to see him standing in front of another one of the ladders, this one marked with an old red baseball cap with a yellow bill. Glenn smiled, ready to get out of the disgusting water- and to have his hat back.
After handing the hat back to Glenn, Rick began to climb up. Once they heard his voice from above, telling them it was clear, Glenn and Maeve followed.
“After you- ladies first, right?” Glenn told the girl as he put her down to let her climb the latter. She giggled, smiling to herself as she ascended.
“You go get the others, introduce them to Maeve.” Rick spoke, motioning to the girl. Glenn nodded, holding his hand out for the girl to grab.
-
“YEAHHAA! WHOOOO!” Glenn yelled as he gripped the steering wheel. The girl was grinning ear to ear, looking over at the man next to her as he pressed the gas pedal as far as he could.
She had decided that she liked him. He was a bit awkward, but also kind and funny. She knew he was a good person; she trusted Glenn. That was why she chose to stick with him rather than the others.
When the car finally stopped, she looked out her window. She saw people- a few women, men and even children. She saw an RV, with a man wearing a bucket hat standing on top of it. A few tents were scattered throughout the area as well, some with people still sitting inside of them.
As the two of them stepped out of the car, people quickly began crowding around them.
“Jesus- turn that damn thing off!” the man on top of the RV yelled. “I don’t know how!” Glenn yelled back over the blaring siren coming from the little red sports car. He was still smiling, giddy from the exciting drive over.
“Who’s this?” one of the now many people surrounding them spoke up- a younger blonde woman. “Oh yeah, uh- this is Maeve. We uh- we found her. Long story.” he continued to yell over the alarm. “Dammit- turn it off!” another man spoke. He was tall with dark hair- the girl thought he looked mean. “Uh-” Glenn shrugged, and the scary man started walking towards the car. “Pop the hood!” he yelled. “Is she okay?” the blonde began yelling as well, suddenly not as worried about the strange girl. “Uh-” Glenn struggled to pop the hood, searching for a button or latch as the blonde continued to throw questions at the poor guy.
“Yes! Yes she's fine!” he finally yelled at the blonde, silencing her questions. Maeve wondered who the ‘she’ they were referring to was- surely someone from the group she met earlier.
The scary man continued to yell at Glenn over the loud noise, and Maeve decided she wasn’t needed. She backed away from the frantic group of people, deciding she’d try to get a proper look at the camp.
As she looked around, walking further away from the car, she took note of some of the people there. She saw a woman standing with two children- probably her own. She saw the man from the RV, now on the ground with the rest of them, walking towards the group of people trying to shut the red car up. She saw a woman with short gray hair, standing with a little girl who looked to be around her age. She saw another man- he had short hair and a baseball bat. Another man with a shovel. A woman with a boy- he stood covering his ears. When she looked at him, he was staring back.
Suddenly, the noise stopped and she turned to see the hood of the car open and the scary man still talking to Glenn. She had decided she didn’t really care, so she kept walking past the front of the RV.
Soon the truck pulled up, everyone except Merle climbing out of it. She sat, watching everyone. She felt awkward- she didn’t know these people, she had no idea what to do. She missed her mom.
Suddenly, when Rick came out last, the boy from before began running towards him. “DAD!” he yelled, and Rick began stumbling towards him and the woman with tears in his eyes. Rick bent down, scooping up the boy as he wept. The woman looked at him with wide eyes. She looked as if she was in shock, still debating whether or not he was real. She cracked a small smile at the sight, happy for the family. She felt herself missing her mother even more.
Chapter 3: chapter 3 - frogs
Summary:
Maeve gets worried while Rick and Glenn are in Atlanta trying to find Merle. Carl invites her to catch frogs with him and shane in order to take her mind off things.
Notes:
HI! Look at me, updating chapters ;)
this chapters sorta a filler, but I think it's super cute :)
also yes, ik we hate Shane (or at least I do) but we're building a bond between him and Maeve for the plot so DONT COME FOR ME!!
anyways, love you guys :) hope you enjoy!
Chapter Text
Maeve sat with her back to the RV. She picked at the skin around her fingernails and her leg bounced up and down. If her mother were here, she’d lecture her about her bad habit. She would also give her a much-needed hug.
“My dad’ll be back- and Glenn, and all of ‘em.” Carl's voice almost startled her as she had forgotten about his presence. “My dad’s tough. He found me so I know he can do it.” the boy tried his best to comfort the girl. However he was just as nervous as the girl, so his words weren’t only meant for her.
Rick and Glenn had gone back to Atlanta with a few others to retrieve Merle, the asshole redneck that they had left behind. No one would’ve even blinked at his absence, but his brother insisted on going back for him. Rick was a good man, so he rounded up anyone he needed to assist him and drove off in the same van he arrived in a few days earlier.
Maeve hardly knew Rick, but she was still worried. Ever since she had him at gunpoint in that abandoned apartment, she could tell he was a good person. Same with Glenn, and she had found herself growing attached to them. (although it made sense- they were the only adults around to take care of her during the end of the world)
“I know,” she spoke, ” still nervous, though.” she sighed.
“I am too,” he said, “at least we’re nervous together, right?” he smiled slightly, trying his best to cheer her up.
When Maeve showed up, Carl was more than thrilled. He had Sophia, sure- but two friends are better than one, right?
Having another friend added a bit of normalcy to the situation. Carl liked to imagine they were all just on a camping trip; the dead never rose and he would be back in school once the weekend was over.
He also felt terrible for the girl. His dad had given him a talk the night before, telling him to be sensitive to her situation. He hoped she would have an ending like his- maybe his dad would bring her mom back from his second trip to the city.
He also liked Maeve a lot. Usually, he would try to avoid girls because of cooties and all that, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She was very nice and didn’t seem to have any cootie symptoms. Although he had only met her a few days ago, he could tell she would be a good friend. Plus, Sophia was always being dragged off by Ed and told to stay put in her tent. Carl felt sorry for her- he could never tell why her dad was so angry at her. She must have been bad when Carl wasn’t looking. Not that it mattered at much now; Sophia was a good friend too, but he also had Maeve now.
“Yeah,” the girl chuckled, “sure- together.” she smiled at the boy.
Maeve had now decided she liked Carl. She wasn’t sure, since he was a boy and boys were usually gross. Carl seemed nice though, and him being here to reassure her meant a lot. Carl is a friend.
“Y’know, me ‘n Shane are gonna go catch frogs later,” her eyes widened at his words. “FROGS?” she exclaimed with a gasp, “EWW!” they both giggled as she made a face as if she had just eaten something sour.
“I know- but Shane says you can eat ‘em- their legs, he said.” she shook her head. “Shanes's crazy.” she giggled. “Yeah, but it might be fun. You could just watch if you want! We can go swimming after.” he proposed, still smiling from ear to ear. “A swim would be fun,” she answered, earning an even bigger smile from Carl.
-
“I’m gonna get all of ‘em!” Maeve squealed as she held her net in the water in front of them. “No you won’t! I’m gonna!” Carl retorted as they both giggled in excitement.
“Aw man Carl, you can’t let a girl beat you!” Shane joked, sending a wink Maeve’s way. “ ‘member guys, you are the key in all this. You guys need to round up every bad boy you see, alright?” Suddenly, both the children’s faces turned to stone. They looked serious with their grins from seconds ago gone from their faces. They gripped their nets as if their lives as well as everyone else in the camp's lives depended on them catching these frogs.
“Now don’t let any of ‘em by you. You with me?” “yeah,” Carl responded in a serious tone. “Yeah!” Maeve’s response held a bit more enthusiasm.
“Hells yeah!” Shane yelled, hyping the two of them up. “C’mon Carl, show me your mean face! Grr” The man mimicked a sort of growl as he grimaced his face in a humorous way. Maeve’s smile widened when Carl copied him. “Now you Maeve lemme see it, girl,” he spoke as he nodded towards her. She giggled and did the same as the two boys, giggling slightly as she did.
“Aw man Carl, I think she got you beat! C’mon, you can do better than that, boy!” Carl tried again, growling louder this time and puffing out his chest. Maeve only laughed harder at this.
“Alright yes sir- you ready? Here we go,” it went quiet as Shane slowly shuffled to his left a bit. He slowly tilted the tin bucket down until he suddenly splashed down, landing himself as well as the bucket into the water.
Maeve and Carl squealed as they frantically began to swish their nets through the water, slightly shoving and elbowing each other as they yelled meaningless insults at one another.
“They're coming your way! They're coming your way little man, get 'em!” Shane yelled as he splashed around frantically. “I’ll get 'em!” Maeve yelled as she once again elbowed Carl’s side to try and keep all the frogs to herself. “Get ‘em, girl!”
“Catch them frogs! Catch them frogs!” Shane continued to chant in a funny voice. Maeve almost dropped her net due to how hard she was laughing.
At this moment, Maeve forgot about her missing mother. She forgot about Glenn and Rick. She forgot everything except the fact that she was a kid, and life was fun and worth living. She knew that Carl was her friend, and he would be for a long time.
Chapter 4: chapter 4 - scared
Summary:
after a heard of walkers comes through the camp, Maeve finds herself remembering the tragedies of her past. She begins to bond with someone she'd never expect to.
Chapter Text
“Do you think Sophia’s gonna be okay? ‘Cuz of her dad?” Maeve just shrugged. She didn't answer Carl's question- she couldn’t.
Just as Rick and the others were returning home, a bunch of walkers came through and ended up killing several people. Those people included Sophia's father Ed and Amy.
Maeve had seen dead people, and she had seen people die. She saw her uncle die to the dead.
-
“Maevie run! Go baby!” he screamed. Blood was pouring from his mouth causing slight gurgles with his frantic words. “Judy take her and go,” he continued to speak weakly as the rotting bodies continued to claw at his flesh. Maeve’s mother could only stand there and stare. She was crying. Her mom never cried.
“Mama,” Maeve spoke, tugging on her sleeve. “Mama we gotta go.” She loved her uncle. He had helped raise Maeve since her father was never around. Her uncle Finn was her real father. That's what she liked to think.
Uncle Finn was how she had her brother. Mama told her that Michael was really her cousin, but he was like her baby brother. She loved her baby brother, even though her auntie Melly had gone to heaven when he was born.
Micael had been killed by the dead too. He died early on, and Maeve cried. Her mama used to tell her that big girls like her don’t cry, but when her baby brother died she allowed it.
Uncle Finney had cried too. She had only seen him cry one other time, which was when Auntie Melly died.
“Mama cmon,” she tried pulling her arm, but her mother didn’t budge. “Mama we have to go,” she sobbed as one of the dead stopped feeding on her uncle’s flesh and began stumbling towards them. “Mama!” she was screaming now, which only attracted more walkers toward them. Her mother shook as she sobbed.
They never should have left their building. Maeve knew it. It took an hour to coax her outside, but her uncle insisted she went with them. He told her she has to learn to not fear the dead.
Now her uncle was dead, and Maeve was running back home by herself. She thought if she started running her mother would follow, but she didn’t. Maeve hoped she’d be back soon, and with food. She waited for forever. She waited until two men showed up through the sewers.
-
“Maeve, are you okay?” Maeve looked up, met with a concerned look on Carl’s face. She had zoned out.
“Yeah,” she mumbled, “sorry.”
“Are you scared, Maeve?” the boy asked. She shrugged once again. “My uncle said I shouldn’t be scared.” Carl’s eyes furrowed at her answer. “Where’s he now?” Maeve looked up from the floor. “He’s dead.”
-
Maeve sighed as the wind blew, a soft breeze tickling her back. It felt nice against the severe Georgia heat. She continued to fidget with the thick blade of grass she had plucked from in front of her. She looked up at the tree above her. She wondered if she could climb it.
“God dammit. Fuckin’ idiot pricks,” she jumped slightly as she heard someone approach her little ‘spot’.
“Gonna fuckin’ die like idiots.” a familiar scruffy voice mumbled in a Southern accent. She prayed he would walk by without seeing her.
With her luck though, of course, he soon appeared right in front of her, almost stepping on her as he tried to stomp past. “The fuck?” he cursed, stopping when he saw the girl. “The hell you doin' out here? Aint your mama gonna worry?” he asked, slightly concerned. She shook her head. “Mom’s dead,” she spoke as she looked up at him. “Shit, sorry kid,” he responded, although he didn’t seem too apologetic. Before he could go, she decided to ask him about his brother. “You guys find your brother?” she regretted it when she saw him flinch at the question. “Nah.” he mumbled, “chances are he’s dead too.” much to her surprise and slight dismay, he sat down next to her. “Ain’t no one worried for me neither.” he rested his elbow on the large crossbow he had set down next to him. “You got a name girl?” he asked. She was surprised he was talking to her period, let alone being slightly polite. “Maeve,” she answered hesitantly. She couldn’t really remember his name. It was something like Dave.
“Maeve?” he asked, surprised for some reason. “What kinda fuckin name is that.” never mind. He wasn’t polite.
“My uncle picked it,” she mumbled. She turned away when she felt tears begin to spill from her eyes again.
Daryl looked at her, frowning when he heard her sniffle quietly. “Shit, sorry kid.” again, the man surprised her with an apology. “ ‘was just kiddin'. Who am I to talk though, huh? Fuckin named Daryl.” he chuckled slightly, trying to lighten the mood.
Daryl- that was his name. Not Dave, Maeve remembered. She giggled slightly at his comment.
“Why’re you here?” she finally asked, turning to face him once again. He shook his head.
“Stupid assholes won’t put the blonde chick down. ‘Er cunty sister’s still layin with ‘er. Gonna turn any minute.” he shook his head again. “Could ask you the same question. Shouldn't be out here by yourself.” she shrugged. “Didn’t wanna see the dead people.” Daryl nodded in understanding. Somehow, she began to like Daryl- only a little bit, though.
she felt as if they were the same in a way. They were both alone, their family gone. It was sort of a screwed-up thing to bond over, but to Maeve it made sense. Maybe if dead people could walk, Daryl Dixon could become a friend.
Chapter 5: chapter 5- mr. dixon
Summary:
this chapter is super choppy and random tbh so here's a quick list of relatively relevant events
- daryl and maeve bond
- carl and maeve bond
- maeve remembers a lot about her past and discusses some of it with daryl
- the group leaves camp to head for the cdc
Notes:
hiii so this chapter is sorta choppy and lazy so I apologize, but it works so
its all rlly filler anyways
enjoy :)
also, LOOK AT ME I POSTED 3 FREAKING CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY???? WHO AM I
Chapter Text
After a while of sitting under the tree with Daryl, the two of them silently agreed that their time away was up. Maeve prayed to herself that the bodies were cleaned up by now.
However, she was disappointed to see a few of the dead still strewn about the camp when they returned. She wasn’t surprised, as it had only been around half an hour, but still disappointed.
“Maeve! God where have you been?” a worried Lori spoke as she ran to the girl. Maeve was surprised when she kneeled down to her level and wrapped her arms around the small girl. “Are you hurt? Scratched? Bit?” she asked frantically as she examined the girl’s face and body. “No- I was just, uh-” “she was with me, she’s fine.” Daryl spoke from behind her. Lori frowned. “The hell were you doing with her?” she shouted. Suddenly, Daryl’s indifference disappeared.
“What the hell kinda question is that? You really think I’d hurt a little girl?” he growled.
“I wouldn;t put it past you.” Lori spoke, standing up as she pushed the girl behind her. “You stay away from her.” she warned as she continued to stare daggers at the man in front of her. “Jesus. Man fuck you- I found her by ‘erself in the damn woods! You should be thankin’ me bitch.” Daryl was yelling now. He was mad. Maeve didn’t blame him either, but neither did she Lori.
“Maeve, is he telling the truth? He didn’t hurt you or say anything bad to you?” she asked sternly as she turned around to face the girl again. Maeve shook her head. “He didn’t. Really! He told me I needed to come back, ‘cause you guys would worry.” Maeve could only hope Lori believed her. She was telling the truth after all, but the woman only furrowed her eyebrows as she looked between the two of them. “Fine. okay.” she sighed as she ran her hand through her long hair. “Just don’t leave our sight like that again, missy. While your mama’s not here you’re our ward- our responsibility. Understand?” Maeve nodded. “Yes ma’am.” she answered. “Okay,” Lori sighed once more as she silently dismissed the girl over to a waiting Carl with the wave of her hand. With that, she turned to Daryl.
“Im- I’m sorry. I trust you.” she nodded towards him, “just worried. Poor girl has no one unless we find her mother-" "her moms dead.” Daryl spoke rather bluntly. “Excuse me?” Lori furrowed her brows once more in confusion. “She told me her mom’s dead. If the kid thinks so I think it’s fair to assume she’s gone.”
Lori didn’t know how to respond. She had expected the man to say something like ‘damn right you are’ and call her some sort of nasty name that she would pray the children didn’t hear. But here he was, calm and collected- well, calm for a dixon. She couldn’t do anything except nod before he walked past her.
-
“I think my mom and dad are fighting.” Carl spoke between sniffles. “Why do you think so?” the girl asked as she tried to assess the best way to handle the crying boy.
After Lori had given a long lecture to Maeve about wandering off, the two children had gone to sit by the fire pit and play with the collection of large stones and sticks the children had collected. They watched from afar as the last of the bodies were burnt and their people were buried. After Carl had gone to talk to his parents, he came back crying.
“My dad told me he needed to discuss things with my mom, that means they’re fighting.” He used his dirty arm that was caked with dust to wipe his nose.
Maeve wasn’t too good with comforting people. Her mother had an unspoken rule about crying and emotions; they were never to be talked about. She never saw her mama cry, not until her uncle died.
So, she went with her instincts. She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on.
The boy was a bit startled by the sudden hug, but soon accepted it. He relaxed as he wrapped his arms around her back. “Thank you,” he spoke, just above a whisper. The girl only nodded slightly in response.
“Maeve?” his voice almost scared her over the comfortable silence that had surrounded the two. “Mhm?” she responded. “Do you think my dad’s right? About the cure, and the place he wants us to go to?” “the CDC?” she clarified, and he nodded. “I dunno,” she shrugged as she finally pulled away from the long hug. “I know your dad is smart- and he’s brave. I trust him.”
Maeve wasn’t lying, she would trust Rick with her life. She didn’t know if there would be a cure,or anything that could really save Jim, unfortunately- but she knew that Rick was right about it being their best bet.
-
“Carol, you and Sophia can ride with us.” Rick spoke before turning to Maeve. “Where would you like to go, missy?” he asked with a comforting smile on his face as he kneeled in front of her. “You can come with us, we’ll just have to squeeze. Lori doesn’t want Carol to be alone since she lost Ed.” she nodded in understanding. “I can ride with someone else, I’ll be okay. Thank you though, Mr. Grimes.” She gave him a polite smile and he nodded. “Let me know once you figure out who you're going with, okay?” he requested, and she nodded. “Promise?” he asked, extending his pinky finger towards her. She giggled at the gesture. “Promise.” with that she linked her finger with his, kissing her thumb. Her smile widened when he did the same.
-
“Mr. Dixon?” the girl spoke, startling the man. “Jesus,” he exhaled as he turned around to see the girl. “Don't sneak up on me like that kid-” he shook his head as he turned back to the bike he was currently loading into the bed of a truck. “And don’t call me no ‘Mr. Dixon’. I ain't no school teacher.” she nodded. “Now what do you want?” he asked finally, turning around once the bike was placed securely into the large, beaten-up bed. “I uh- I was wonderin’ if I would ride with you,” she asked, hesitant. “Rick’s havin’ Carol and Sophia ride with them since Carol's sad and he doesn’t want her to be alone,” she argued, awaiting his response. He only stared back at her, his brows twisted together in contemplation.
“Fine.” he answered finally, much to her surprise. “But I ain’t gon’ sing no nursery rhymes. I ain’t your babysitter.” she nodded, trying her best to hide her grin. “Yes sir.”
-
“Can I ask you something?” the girl asked the man driving. He only grunted in response.
After around an hour of driving in almost complete silence, Maeve decided to risk pissing Daryl off.
“What’d you do before this? Like, what were you doing six months ago? Way before all this,” he shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of them. “Survive. Not much different than now, just less dead people back then.” the girl chuckled at that. “What about you?”
She was surprised he answered her question without yelling in the first place, so it was even more absurd to her that he was continuing the conversation. These moments made Maeve wonder why people hate Daryl so much.
“Well I was in school,” she shrugged, “my mama was a nurse. She worked at Emory,” she felt her heart twinge at the thought of her mother. She missed her.
“Lived with my uncle too, and my cousin. He was like my baby brother, though.” she continued, “My aunt died when she had him, so I don’t remember her much, but she used to live with us too.” Daryl nodded. “No pops around?” she shook her head. “My mom said he split from the hospital when I was born and she hasn’t seen him since. She says we were better off without him, anyways.” she sighed, “She said he was a kid too. Wasn’t ready to be a dad.” she frowned.
“Y’know maybe she’s right. I had a dad and boy was he an asshole,” Daryl spoke, a small smile on his face. “No ma though. No uncle neither, I’d say you sound pretty lucky.” she nodded, “I was,” she sighed once more as she rested her chin on the back of her hand. She stared out the window at the trees racing by. “Now they're all dead.”
Daryl didn’t know what to say. The asshole dad quip was really all he had. He didn’t even know why he was talking to the kid in the first place- she meant nothing to him. She was just some random orphan to whom he had zero obligation. He just couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. God, if Merle were there he would have his ass beat for being a soft idiot.
“I’m sorry kid,” he spoke quietly, “at least we uh, we got each other, right? Or some other corny shit like that.” he wanted to throw up as soon as those words came out of his mouth.
Maeve nodded, cringing just as much as the man was inside. “Yeah, sure.” she laughed.
Chapter 6: chapter 6- CDC
Summary:
the group arrives at the CDC
Notes:
dude im actually on a roll ive published like 4 chapters in two days wth
Chapter Text
“Yuck,” Maeve felt the nausea building in her stomach and throat as they walked past the many rotting bodies.
She and many others had soon covered their mouths with their shirts as they trudged on slowly. She prayed to herself that Rick was right about this place as they reached the front door. She frowned when there seemed to be nothing.
“Walkers!” Shane yelled from behind her, and sure enough, when she turned around there were a handful of the dead stumbling towards them. The girl ran towards the center of the group, yelping in fear as Lori pulled her to stand behind her along with an equally terrified Carl. “stay close,” she told them.
A quick ‘woosh’ was heard and a small squelch. Daryl had put down the nearest walker. “You led us into a graveyard!” he yelled, stepping towards Rick. “he made a call.” Shane defended, stepping between the two. “It was the wrong damn call!” Daryl continued to shout as he tried to shove past Shane. Shane exhaled in frustration. “Just shut up. You hear me? Shut up. Shut up!” he continued to shove Daryl backward. He turned to Rick, “Rick this is a dead end.” “where are we gonna go?” Carol sobbed from behind them. Everyone was panicking.
Maeve felt herself panicking. She held onto the back of Lori’s shirt as well as Carl. She cried as the adults continued to all either yell, cry, or remain silent, most likely out of shock and defeat. At this moment, they were all children.
“She’s right, we can’t be this close to the city after dark!” Lori spoke with wide eyes. She was one of the calmest ones, although that still wasn’t saying much. She held onto the two children, praying for their safety. Rick panted as he looked around. He seemed defeated, shocked.
“For Benning, Rick- still an option,” Shane spoke once again, looking to his best friend. “On what? No food, no fuel- that's a hundred miles.” Andrea argued. “One-twenty-five, I checked the map,” Glenn added. Andrea shot him an annoyed look.
“Forget fort benning we need answers tonight, now!” Lori was beginning to raise her voice desperately. Maeve’s lip quivered as she felt Carl reach for her hand. “We’ll think of something,” Rick told her. Maeve didn’t believe him. “Come on! Let’s go, we have to get out of here.” Shane spoke as everyone began to retreat back towards their vehicles. Maeve knew to stay close to Lori and Carl. everyone except Rick.
Rick stood his ground, his eyes wide as he continued to stare at the large, blockaded door and the camera above it. Suddenly, he held his hand up behind him as if to tell everyone to halt. “The camera- it moved!” everyone turned around. “You imagined it,” Dale told him, itching to get out of there. “It moved,” Rick spoke quietly, stepping closer.
“Rick, it is dead man- it’s an automated device. It- it’s gears, okay?” Shane spoke calmly as he stepped to stand beside his friend. “They're just winding down, now come on-” he tried to pull Rick with him, holding onto his forearm. “It's dead, okay? It’s dead you need to let it go RIck!” the two struggled as Rick continued to shove forward against Shane’s grip. Once he got free, she ran forward and slammed his fist into the metal barricade. “I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!” he yelled into the camera. “Please, we’re desperate.” he pleaded, “please help us, we have women, children, no food, hardly any gas left-” Lori let Carol take the children, running up to stand in front of her husband. “Rick.” “We have nowhere else to go-” “Rick there’s nobody here.” “If you don’t let us in you’re killing us! Please!” Shane grabbed him, wrapping his arm around his chest. “Come on buddy, let’s go.” Rick continued to cry and yell, trying his best to resist Shane’s grip on him. “YOU’RE KILLING US! YOU’RE KILLING US!” and suddenly, the door opened and everyone froze.
-
“Vi, seal the main entrance. Kill the power up here.” the man spoke as everyone crowded into the elevator. Suddenly, the door they had come in through was back to being shut. The outside world separated from them; they were safe. For now, that is.
“Rick Grimes” Rick introduced himself. He held out his hand for a handshake, but the man only stared down awkwardly at his hand. “Dr. Edwin Jenner.”
Maeve felt her knees shake as the elevator went down. She had always hated elevators, so going down in one to what she could only assume was underground while the lights flickered wasn’t the ideal situation for her.
“Doctors always go around packing heat like that?” Daryl broke the silence, referring to the large machine gun that the man- Jenner, was holding. “There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself.” he looked back at the group of people. “But you look harmless enough,” he tried to joke. He smiled when he made eye contact with Maeve. “Except you, Im gonna have to keep my eye on you.” he chuckled. Maeve smiled coyly.
-
Maeve held onto Carl’s hand as they sat in two cold, metal chairs. Her leg shook anxiously.
Jenner had told them that their ‘price of admission’ was blood tests. It was an easy price to pay for shelter, except Maeve wasn’t particularly fond of needles.
“You okay Maeve?” Carl asked, noticing her panicky state. She only nodded. “We’re safe now, my dad says so.” he tried to reassure her. She nodded again.
“Hey- what’s goin’ on over here?” Shane spoke as he kneeled in front of the two kids. “I think Maeve’s nervous,” Carl told him. He looked to the girl, “that true, Maeve?” she nodded once again. “I don’t like needles,” she mumbled. She could feel more nausea building up as she glanced over to Andrea getting poked in the arm by the doctor. “Well,” Shane spoke, “I’ll tell you what,” Maeve looked at him, hoping for his next words to be ‘You don't have to do it’. They weren’t, however. “I talked to Jenner, and he says he has a few special treats that you kids might like. There was some talk about ice cream. You like ice cream, Maeve?” the girl nodded. “Good. let’s make a deal- you get your blood drawn, no fussin', no cryin', all brave- I’ll get you some of that ice cream. Sound good to you?” the girl smiled- it very much sounded good to her. She nodded. “Can I have some too? If I'm brave?” Carl asked. “Well I mean you ain’t scared of needles- plus you don’t like ice cream. Right?” “No! I like ice cream!” Carl argued. “Really? Man, I could’ve sworn you told me you were allergic or something-” “I’m not!” Carl giggled. Shane was teasing him. “fine, fine- as long as you get permission from your mother, yeah?” He nodded eagerly.
After the conversation with Shane, Maeve was still dreading her turn. However, now there was something to look forward to.
-
“You know, in Italy, children have a little bit of wine with dinner, and in France” Dale spoke as he poured the dark red liquid into everyone’s glasses. More laughter erupted from the table. “Well when Carl is in Italy or France he can have some then,” Lori spoke, covering Carl’s cup as she sipped at her own wine. “I wanna try some!” Maeve exclaimed. Lori quickly put down her glass and covered her cup as well. “You too Maeve.” she gave the girl a stern look and she frowned. “Come on- what’s it gonna hurt?” Rick told her. She hesitated, smiling. Finally, she laughed, removing her hands.
“There you are young lad,” Dale said, handing Carl a cup with only a bit of wine in it. He poured one for the girl, too. “M’lady,” he teased as he handed it to her, giving her a playful wink.
Carl took the first sip, scrunching his face at the bitter taste and putting the glass down. “Eww!” the table erupted into laughter once again. “Don’t drink it Maeve it's disgusting!” Maeve giggled, picking up her glass anyways. She took a sip as everyone watched her in anticipation. She furrowed her brows, “not too bad!” she spoke once she swallowed. All the adults laughed even harder at this. “That's my girl,” Daryl spoke as he chuckled, patting her on the back. He made sure to speak quietly, however, so only the girl could hear. He was tipsy, but he wasn’t going to completely embarrass himself. Lori shook her head, “Okay that’s enough,” she took both of their cups, pouring the rest into her own glass. She smiled as Carl continued his dramatic coughing and gagging. “That’s my boy,” Carl stuck his tongue out, turning to Maeve, “You’re crazy! IIt'sdisgusting!” Maeve only giggled. The rest of the meal was spent poking fun at the boy for being a baby.
Chapter 7: chapter 7- pleas
Summary:
Maeve accidentally overhears Lori and Shane in the rec room
Notes:
**TW** mentions/implications of SA
(follows the events of s1e6 with Lori and Shane in the rec room)
Chapter Text
*TW* mentions/implications of SA
“You’re like a whole new kid!” Lori laughed, running her fingers through the girl's short, wet hair.
Everyone was overjoyed when Jenner mentioned the showers- everyone except Carl. he was a twelve-year-old boy, so no one was surprised when he tried to resist bathing.
Maeve, however, was thrilled. She had missed the feeling of being clean, so naturally, the first thing she did after dinner was take a hot shower.
She looked at herself in the foggy mirror. She had hardly seen her reflection lately, but when she did her face and hair were usually covered in some sort of dirt and grime. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her face being squeaky clean-her cheeks rosy from the hot water. She watched herself in the mirror as she brushed her hair, mesmerized by her own reflection.
After she and Carl were both clean, Rick and Lori retired to the showers as well. Carl sat on the small, fold-out couch as Maeve sat on the main bed. She read her book, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,' given to her by Dale when she mentioned her class was about to start reading it before the world ended.
Carl couldn’t help but stare at her; she looked completely different without her dirty, oily hair and her dirt-caked face. He noticed the small freckles that dotted her cheeks and the way her olive-toned skin looked with her hazel eyes. Suddenly, he felt as though he was dropping a hundred stories; his stomach fluttered and his face felt hot.
“What do you think of this place?” her words startled him; he hadn’t even noticed when she looked up. He felt his chees turn pink in embarrassment as he stuttered.
“I uh- it’s cool,” he managed to get out, “what about you?”
Maeve didn’t really need to ask that question- she knew Carl was happy. He had a full belly and a proper roof above his head for the first time in months. She just wanted him to stop staring at her all weird.
“I love it,” she sighed, “I can’t wait to go to sleep- with a real bed and blankets,” she smiled to herself. The boy nodded, “yeah, it’s real nice.” he agreed.
Once Lori and Rick were done in the shower, Lori agreed to take the two children to the alleged ‘rec room’ Jenner had mentioned. They made sure to grab Sophia and Carol on the way, of course.
When they entered the room, Maeve instantly felt a wide grin form on her face. There were toys, puzzles, books- lots of luxuries none of them had seen in what felt like forever. Her first instinct was to begin exploring the vast collection of books that sat prettily on the shelves.
She took note of a few books she remembered her mom having; mostly romance books she would quietly gag at the covers of.
Soon she was sat around the small coffee table in the center of the room, watching as Carl and Sophia played a game of checkers. She was to play the winner. She held onto a handful of books she had picked out, planning on taking them back to her room. Jenner wouldn’t miss them, surely. Lori walked in a few minutes after the game had started, holding a fresh glass of wine in her hand as she laughed.
“Any good books?” she asked, eyeing the small pile of books the girl had as well as the novel currently in Carol’s hands. “Uh huh,” Carol smiled, giving a nod in her friend's direction. “You find anything Maeve?” Lori asked playfully. Maeve smiled shyly.
“Come on kids, bedtime.” Carol soon announced, placing her book down. “Aww, come on, just a little bit longer- please Mommy?” Sophia complained. Carl pouted as Maeve joined in on the whining, “It's supposed to be my turn next!” Carol shook her head, “It's getting late, you can play tomorrow.” all three of the children slumped their shoulders in defeat beginning to stand up. “Go say your prayers baby I’m gonna browse a bit,” Lori stated absentmindedly towards Carl as she looked around at the massive collection of novels.
-
As the three of them walked down the hallway, they spoke excitedly of their plans for the next day. “There was monopoly! We need to play in the morning,” Carl exclaimed as Carol ushered the children along. When they reached the room Carol and Sophia were staying in, they said their goodbyes.
“You kids remember which room you’re in, yes?” Carol asked. The two of them nodded, “Yes ma’am,”
As Carl and Maeve reached the door to their own residence, Maeve stopped. “My books! I forgot ‘em.” she frowned, “I'm gonna go get them, I’ll be back,” she told the boy before running back down the hallway.
When she reached the door to the rec room, she paused. It was shut. Why would Lori shut it? They had left it open when they left. Then, as if to answer her question, she heard yelling.
She froze in worry- who was yelling? She tried to listen, but all she could hear was muffled voices. She eventually decided to risk cracking the door open as much as she could without the possibility of being noticed.
“Listen- you love me,” “Get your hands off me! Get off!” her eyes widened- it was Shane and Lori.
“I love you- there’s no one here,” Shane spoke. He sounded like he was begging. “Please! No!” Lori sobbed. Maeve was frozen in fear- she was unsure of what to do.
She thought of her mother. Lori’s pleas and sobs were all too familiar when she thought about it- all the men her mother dated, the ones who were bad- she heard their voices, their ‘I love yous’. The only difference now is she was alone. She couldn’t go get her uncle- she couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t stand up to Shane herself- if he would hurt Lori then who’s to say he wouldn't hurt her?
Suddenly, a few sharp yells rang out and the crying a pleading stopped. She cracked the door open as much as she could, trying to see what was happening. She saw Shane, looking to the ground as he slowly stepped towards the door behind him. She silently thanked God that the door she was currently standing at wasn’t the only one. He left, slamming the door harshly behind him, leaving Lori.
Maeve’s heart broke even further when Lori began to sob harder. She ran her hands through her hair with wide eyes, breathing quickly. She cringed when she felt the door swing open wider, creaking as it moved.
Lori looked over at the girl, a mix of worry and embarrassment painting her face. “Maeve, I- how long have you-?” she tried her best to wipe the tears off her face. The girl could only stand in the doorway, mouth agape and eyes big.
“I left my books,” she spoke quietly, stepping forward, “Im real sorry ma’am, I-” she picked nervously at her fingernails. “Honey I’m so sorry- “ Lori shook her head, standing up and walking over to the girl. She kneeled down, wrapping her arms around her. Maeve was confused- she wasn't the one that needed comforting, why was Lori hugging her? She didn’t question it, however. She just hugged her back as the woman wept.
Chapter 8: chapter 8- fire
Summary:
the group escapes the cdc
Notes:
this chapter has a lot of rambling (aka a bit more than usual bc I suck ass at writing LMAO) so I apologize in advance LMAOO also some of it may not make a lot of sense idk im so tired
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The next morning, Maeve sat up in fear. She looked around frantically before sighing in relief once she realized where she was.
She was in the CDC, safe and sound with a full stomach. She was lying opposite of Carl, her feet resting next to his head. She looked at the boy, smiling slightly as she noticed a bit of saliva dripping from his open mouth as he snored softly; he was a funny-looking sleeper.
She looked over at Lori and Rick’s bed, frowning when she saw only Lori. She was sleeping peacefully by herself, the sheet left open next to her. Where was Rick? Just as she began to sit up in a quiet panic, she heard a faint ‘woosh’ from the bathroom; the toilet flushing.
A few moments later, Rick came out of the bathroom with his curly hair damp and a toothbrush in his mouth. She giggled at the white foam that was beginning to dribble down his chin.
“Oh- hey, sorry if I woke you,” he spoke once he saw the girl. He gave her a small wave. “No worries, sir- you didn’t wake me,” she spoke politely. The man nodded, stepping back into the bathroom.
By the time Rick was finished in the bathroom, Lori and Carl had woken up as well. “Morning,” Lori spoke sweetly, planting a kiss on her husband's cheek once she stood up. “I hope Jenner’s got coffee and not just wine,” she spoke, walking towards the bathroom. “Can I try some coffee?” Carl asked as he looked at his father. Rick smiled, “Maybe doubt you’d like it, though,” Maeve smiled, “Yeah! You can’t even drink wine without throwin’ a fit you can’t drink coffee!” she teased. “Whatever. You wouldn’t like coffee either i bet!” the boy rebutted. “I’ve tried it before! My mama used to drink it every morning when she took me to school,” her smile faded soon after she spoke the word ‘mama’. Why did she have to remind herself? She was happy forgetting that her mom was never coming back.
Carl noticed her change in demeanor, frowning when he noticed her glassy eyes. He leaned forward, giving her a tight hug. “It’ll be okay, Maeve,” he spoke softly. Rick soon joined in, sitting down next to the two and rubbing the girl’s back gently. When Carl pulled away from the hug, the man gave her a sympathetic smile. “Always got us, kid,”
-
“Don’t ever ever ever let me drink again,” Glenn groaned as he leaned forward with his forehead resting on his hand. T-dog handed him some aspirin and scooped some eggs onto his plate.
“Adults are stupid,” Carl whispered to the girl sitting next to him, “wine doesn’t taste good, and it makes you hungover. There’s no point!” he Whipser shouted with a smile. Maeve giggled, “You wouldn’t get it, 'cause you’re a baby,” she mocked his whispering. “Am not! Bet I'm older than you,” he stuck his tongue out at her. In return, she elbowed his side. “Am not! When’s your birthday, baby?” she teased. “June first,” he stated proudly, “1998.” Maeve’s smile grew wider, “Ha! Mine’s in October! October thirty-first, same year.” Carl’s brow furrowed, “isn’t that after June?” he chuckled, “uhm, yeah? So I'm older,” she argued with a cocky tone. Car; shook his head, “no, you’re being stupid,” Maeve elbowed him once again at the insult. “Hey Mom!” he spoke up, getting Lori’s attention, “which birthday means you're older- June first or October 31st?” Lori looked confused, “Maeve is that your birthday?” Maeve nodded. “What years?” she asked. “Both 98,” Maeve told her. “Well then, I’m sorry Maeve but Carl’s older,” with that, Lori turned her attention back to the adults.
“YES!” Carl cheered, exhilarated by his victory. “Looks like you’re the baby, Maeve! Baby Maeve!” he teased, “Baby Maeve, baby Maeve~” he began chanting as he pointed at her. She only rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the boy. She waited for his annoying victory chants to be over. “Whatever, you’re still the baby,” she scoffed. “Am not! I’m way older than you!” she decided to ignore him. She knew he would never let this go.
The conversation only continued for another minute or so, until Shane entered the room.
Maeve froze- she had almost forgotten about what she had seen the night before as if it was some horrific nightmare that never happened. She wasn’t that lucky, however.
“Feel as bad as I do?” Rick asked, oblivious to the tension between the three people. “Worse,” Shane answered bluntly, fixing himself a cup of coffee. “The hell happened to you? Your neck,” T-dog spoke, motioning to the three big scratches left across the side of Shane’s neck. She looked over to see Lori frozen in what seemed like a mix of anger and fear.
“Must’ve done it in my sleep,” Shane answered cooly. It made Maeve’s blood boil. “Never seen you do that before,” Rick added. If only he knew. “Me neither,” Shane took a sip of his coffee, “not like me at all,” Maeve felt sick as she saw the man look across the table, directly at Lori. the woman quickly averted her gaze. Maeve wanted to yell, she wanted to scream and kick and slap Shane. She was angry.
-
“What happens in 28 minutes?!” Rick yelled.
Maeve was frozen. She was going to die.
She looked at Carl, at Lori, Rick, Glenn- they were all dead.
She tuned Jenner out as he yelled- she didn’t need to hear it. She already understood. She would be with her mom soon, her uncle, her baby brother.
She watched Carol holding Sophia as they cried. She saw Rick and Lori hugging as Carl held onto both of them. She had been surrounded by these people for a while, but now was the only time she truly felt alone. No one wanted their last moments to be spent lying to the orphan girl, telling her everything was okay. They wanted to hold their own children, their own family. Maeve had none here.
“My daughter doesn’t deserve to die like this,” Carol sobbed. Everyone tried pleading and crying, but Jenner wouldn’t let up.
Soon Shane had a shotgun to the doctor’s head, yelling. Rick stepped in, and the gun went off. Shane kept firing, the stray bullets hitting the walls and computers surrounding the room. Maeve covered her ears in an attempt to drown out the noises.
She shut her eyes, rocking back and forth as she sobbed. When she couldn't hear any more gunshots, she lowered her hands and wrapped them around herself. She imagined her arms weren’t her own; in her mind, they were her uncles, her mother's, even Rick’s or Lori’s.
She opened her eyes when she heard a small beep, and everyone was back on their feet. She felt someone grab her, lifting her up on their shoulder. She looked down and realized it was Daryl. Where were they going? She then saw the door open.
She was frozen once again- she was going to live. She was going to live and so was Carl, and Lori, and Rick, Glenn, Daryl- they all were. She blinked, a shocked smile forming on her face.
-
She stood watching the adults throw things at the window; chucking metal chairs and kicking at the glass. Shane fired a few shots, leaving only a few small dents.
“It won't open?” she heard Sophia say. She sounded scared, which was to be expected. Maeve shook her head in disbelief. What kind of cruel joke was this? She had been given hope, then faced with one more small but impossible barrier. She could see outside, their vehicles sitting cozily on the side of the street. It was as if she was being taunted.
She was too caught up in her own thoughts so she didn’t realize at first when everyone was running past her, diving to the ground. “MAEVE GET DOWN!” she heard Rick yell before she was pulled to the ground. An explosion rang out, followed by the sweet sound of glass breaking.
“RUN!” Daryl was yelling, helping the girl jump down from the broken window. She stumbled at first, but soon got her footing as she began to sprint towards the RV.
“Maeve! C’mon, baby!” Lori yelled, holding her hand out to the girl. She took it, running alongside the woman. She watched as Carl ran in front of them, dodging the bodies that littered the lawn.
“GET DOWN!” Rick screamed once they had reached the RV, and she watched as Dale and Andrea dove behind what looked like a few sacks stacked on top of each other. Then, there was fire.
She watched as the entire building exploded in brilliant flames of orange, red, and white- she always wondered how fire had so many colors. To this day, she still could not tell you why. She felt arms around her, arms that she didn’t care enough to check who they belonged to. She felt a face in her neck- Carl’s face, she would've found out if she wasn’t frozen in shock.
Notes:
THATS A WRAP ON SEASON ONEEEEE
(yes ik there's more to the season, like Sophia getting lost yatta yatta but I'm getting bored so we're gonna skip ahead a bit, prob to like right after Carl was shot bc istg I've watched the same three episodes like 10 times in order to remain somewhat accurate to the show and if I don't start new episodes I will lose my mind LMAO)
anyways hope you enjoyed :) the events from like season two are rlly gonna get the plot rolling ;)
also fuck shane
Chapter 9: chapter 9- blood
Summary:
Carl is shot, and Maeve worries for him while he's suffering
also we meet Maggie (YIPEEEE)
Notes:
Maggie is my favorite so i apologize for her being there every two seconds LMAO (I'm not rlly sorry I love maggie sm)
Chapter Text
“I've got a heartbeat, it’s faint,” “We got this, step back.” “Maggie! We need an I.V.,” “We need some space,” “Your name?” “keep putting pressure on the wound.” “your name?!”
It was only a moment, a blink of an eye. Once everyone’s eyes had opened, Carl was on the ground.
“Shane,” Rick had whispered, telling his friend to let the boy get closer to the deer. Close enough for a bullet to go through it and into him.
“Sweetie, can you tell us your name?” the blonde girl spoke as she kneeled in front of Maeve. Maeve could only stand there, staring at the pale, bloody boy in the bed.
Sophia had gone missing, chased away by two walkers on the highway. Now Carl was shot. Maeve almost laughed at the cruel tricks the universe seemed to be playing on her.
She had watched Carol as she sobbed and shook, worried for her daughter. Now she watched Rick mumble in shock, trying to answer the old man’s questions as best he could. It should’ve been her, she thought. Why the kids with the families? The parents? Why not the orphaned girl? No one would blink if she was shot, or if she went missing in the woods- that’s what she thought, at least.
She hoped and prayed that Carl would be alright, and Sophia would too. She prayed that if they weren’t that she would magically switch places with the both of them and save their families the grief and pain.
-
“Your friend’s gonna be okay, honey. I’m sure of it,” the girl- Maggie, she had learned- spoke as she stroked the girl's hair. It was bittersweet- comforting but reminding her of her mother. “What did you say your name was?” she asked. People had a lot of questions to ask, huh?
“You’d have to ask Rick,” the older woman spoke from across the room, “poor thing hasn’t spoken a word,” the woman shook her head in pity. Maggie sighed, “Sweetie,” her voice was soft and sweet like honey, “do you mind telling us your name? I promise you, the boy will be just fine. That man in there- Herschel, he’s my daddy,” she pointed towards the half-open door to the bedroom where Carl lay lifeless on the bed, “an’ he’s doin’ everything he can to help Carl,” Maeve nodded. “Maeve,” she finally answered, her voice just above a whisper.
“Maeve? Wow, that’s one I’ve never heard before! It’s beautiful,” she gave the girl a warm smile, “now tell me, is Rick your dad?” She shook her head, “no, he’s just a friend,” Maggie nodded. “Is Carl your friend too?” Maeve nodded again. “Well then I’d say Carl’s pretty lucky- you seem like a lovely girl, Maeve.” The girl cracked a small smile; she had decided she liked Maggie.
“You got her talkin’?” the blonde girl from before spoke with a small chuckle. “You’ve met my sister Beth?” Maeve nodded once again. “Beth, this is Maeve,” Maggie introduced and Beth gave a friendly wave.
Maeve felt herself calming down, with her hands shaking less and her heartbeat slowing.
Finally being able to take in her surroundings, she looked around. She assumed she was in the living room, with a nice sofa and a few cozy chairs. Maggie sat next to her on the sofa, still stroking her hair in an attempt to soothe her. Must be instincts, she thought. Maggie would make a great mother someday.
Maggie had short, brown hair that went just to the bottom of her ears. She had a warm smile and a soothing voice that many people would love to listen to, with the southern drawl in it. Beth was blonde, with her long hair up in a ponytail. Was shorter, only standing at around 5’4 while Maggie was a bit taller. She had fuller cheeks that were dusted in a light rosy color that looked beautiful against her light complexion. The two sisters looked quite different, the one thing that they shared being their smiles; Beth wore the same warm smile as her sister.
“How old are you, Maeve?” Beth asked, sitting on a chair across from the two. “Eleven,” she answered, “twelve in October,” she felt herself frown at the reminder of her birthday- the birthday Carl had teased her about only a little over a day ago.
“That’s exciting!” Maggie tried to change the subject, sensing the girl’s sudden discomfort, “Well, we have showers here, would you wanna wash up a bit? I’m sure we have some fresh clothes for you, might be a bit big though,” she offered.
Maeve hadn’t realized how desperately she was in need of a shower. She looked down at her hands and lap, almost jumping when she saw all the blood. Carl’s blood.
”CARL!” she yelled, running to kneel beside the boy. “HELP! RICK HELP HIM!” she pleaded desperately. She put her hands on his shoulders, gasping at the sight of his bloody side. She held him, frantically shoving her hands into his side, trying to stop the geyser of blood pouring out.
“Yes please,” she accepted quietly, “a shower would be nice, thank you miss,” Maggie nodded, “ ‘course, follow me.”
Once Maggie had led the girl down a small hallway she handed her a towel. “I’ll go find some clean clothes,” she told her, “ill leave them outside the door for when you’re finished, okay?” The girl nodded. “Use whatever you need. Turn the knob right for colder ‘n left for warmer,” and with the end of her instructions, the girl let out a small ‘thank you’ and Maggie left her alone.
She looked at herself in the mirror; her hair was greasy and caked in dirt and dry blood. Her gray t-shirt was painted in dark reds and browns, and her jeans were in a similar state.
She thought about whose blood it was, and how it got there. She felt her eyes begin to water as she thought of him.
She had always heard people say that you never appreciate good things enough until they're gone, but she’d never really thought about it much until the world ended. She never thought she’d miss her mother’s lectures; the way she would scold Maeve for the stupid things she did. The worst part was she was always right, and in those moments she would swear the woman was evil. Now, she wanted someone to be right. She wanted her mother to be there to tell her what to do because she didn’t know what she even could do.
She missed Carl, too. His laughter, his stupid jokes about her being a ‘baby’. She missed his bravery and the surprising maturity he had at times. She missed just knowing he was there.
Once she’d stopped crying, she began to strip away her sticky, red clothes. She turned on the water and held her hand under it, pink water falling and swirling down the drain.
She scrubbed at her skin until it was red and raw, hoping she could wash away anything and everything.
She wanted to wash away her sorrow- she wanted to scrub away her ability to feel at all. She didn’t want to feel this way, but she knew that she would always find herself on the floor of the shower again someday even if Carl would be alright. It killed her knowing she was so helpless in this harsh world.
-
“Feeling better?” Maggie asked, looking up from the book she was sat reading on the sofa. Maeve nodded. Her short, brown hair sat on her shoulders, wetting her new shirt. It was far too big on her- she assumed it belonged to Maggie. Maggie smiled, holding back her laughter as she eyed the shirt that seemed like a dress on the small girl, with her short hair sticking out like small spikes on the end.
“How’s he doing?” Maeve asked quietly. Maggie's expression dropped slightly, “better. He’s stable, and Rick-” she stopped when they heard yelling from the other room. “MAGGIE!”
Maggie ran and Maeve followed. When she came in after her, she froze. It was Carl- he was awake.
He was screaming and Hershel was helping Shane hold him down. “He needs blood,” Hershel spoke and Patricia tried to get the attention of an also frozen Rick. “DO IT NOW!” Shane yelled. Maeve jumped slightly at the harsh voice.
Carl squirmed and thrashed, and Maeve felt herself fighting the urge to run over and hug him. She stepped closer, staring down at her friend. Suddenly, the squirming and shouting stopped.
“What- wait-” Shane whispered, panicking. “Carl?-” Maeve called. She felt her stomach drop.
“He’s just passed out,” Herschel explained as he pulled a small piece of metal from his side. “One down, five to go,” he spoke, placing it into a small tray.
This was going to be a long day.
Chapter 10: chapter 10- don't cry, you baby
Summary:
Maeve faces her fear of needles in order to help save Carl :)
Notes:
HII sorry it's been a while ... I haven't been the best mentally so I had like zero motivation to write but I'm back now yayyy
my best friend became friends with my r*pist again, but we worked it out sorta YIPEEE
anyways love yall and hope you're all doing well <3 don't forget to eat some food if you haven't today and drink water :)
ENJOY!
Chapter Text
Maeve sat beside Carl, watching the wooden cuckoo clock on the wall tick back and forth. It had struck three times, a small bird popping out as it rang, announcing the end and beginning of another hour.
She sat up when she heard coughing, and soon Hershel was up from his chair across the room. Lori and Rick ran in as well, hearing the boy from their spots in the hallway. The boy breathed heavily, looking around.
“Wh- where am I?” his voice was weak and strained. He looked between his parents, friend, and the strange old man. “Hey little man,” Rick spoke gently, “that’s Hershel,” he told him as he glanced in the man’s direction, “We’re in his house. You had an accident.” The boy coughed some more and his breathing slowed slightly. “It hurts, a lot,” he told to no one in particular. He winced before turning his head to look at the girl. “Maeve,” he smiled slightly at the girl, and she smiled back. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time today. “Hi,” she whispered. He gave her a weak smirk, “Don’t cry you baby,” Rick chuckled at his son’s antics and Maeve’s smile grew wider. He turned to his mom, “You should have seen it,” Lori looked confused. “What?” Carl smiled, “The deer. It was so pretty, Mom- it was so close. I’ve never been..” Suddenly he stopped talking as his eyes began to roll back. Lori looked at him, her smile quickly replaced with a horrified frown. “Carl?” Rick spoke frantically. Everyone yelled as he began to thrash around.
“Carl! Herschel help him!” the girl screamed, backing away from the boy. Rick grabbed her, holding her close as he stared in horror and she cried. “What is happening?” Lori asked as she reached for her son. Herschel stopped her, “Don't- it’s a seizure. If you hold him down he could hurt himself.” Lori backed up, “You can’t stop it?” she was yelling now. “He just has to go through it,” the man spoke, shaking his head. Ric reached out and grabbed his wife with his other arm as she joined the girl in her sobs.
It didn’t last long, only around thirty seconds, but to everyone, it felt like an eternity. Maeve cried and yelled as the boy thrashed around somewhat violently, grunting and huffing at his involuntary movements. When it stopped, went limp and rolled to the side. Herschel began examining him.
“His brain's not getting enough blood, he needs another transfusion,” Hershel announced and Rick held out his arm. “Ok, I'm ready-” Hershel looked at him, “if I take any more out of you your body could shut down- you could go into a coma or cardiac arrest.” Rick shook his head, “you’re wasting time,” he argued.
As they argued, Maeve was thinking about her mom. She thought about her time in the hospital, and how her mom comforted her through all the scary and painful parts.
She had a seizure- just like Carl had. She was only seven and had been extremely sick for days. One day her fever got so high that the next thing she knew she was waking up in an ambulance. She remembers a conversation they had in the ambulance; a conversation she always held dear to herself.
“What does that mean?” she had asked, and her mother tilted her head in question. “What does what mean, honey?” “blood type, the thing you told the doctor when he asked you questions.” the woman nodded, “it means the type of blood you have in your body. I told him that you have a positive, like A plus,” the girl giggled, “does that mean I'm smart?” “Sure sweetie, it means you’re smart.”
“I’ll do it,” she spoke suddenly, and everyone looked at her, “take my blood- Rick you can’t do it,” Hershel looked at her, “Do you know your blood type?” She nodded, “A-positive, like A plus.”
“Are you sure?” the man asked and she nodded again, “just do it- we’re wasting time,” she held out her arm and he took it. She sat back down on the wooden chair beside the bed as Hershel gathered what he needed to take her blood.
“Thank you,” Rick whispered, crouching next to the girl as he held her hand, “thank you Maeve,” The girl could only nod. She felt her stomach turn as Hershel sat in front of her holding the needle. As he began to stick it in the crook of her arm, all she could think about was Carl being okay.
-
Maeve sat in the corner as everyone surrounded the table in the middle of the room. Herschel pulled out a collection of sharp tools, and Patricia prepared lights and clothes. Rick and Lori stood a few feet away from her, watching in fear as everyone prepared to operate on the boy.
Shane and Otis hadn’t made it back yet, so they made a quick decision to operate without a respirator. The three of them could only sit there, helpless, knowing the boy would die.
Suddenly, the sound of a truck pulling up to the gravel driveway outside got everyone’s attention. They ran outside, a wave of relief washing over all of them as Shane stepped out of the beaten-up truck, a big bad filled to the brim with medical supplies in his arms.
Carl was going to live.
-
“Hershel says I’ll probably have a big scar,” Carl boasted. Maeve grinned down at him, sitting next to him on the bed.
“Cool! Scars are sexy,” she giggled. Carl shook his head, “sexy? You don't even know what that means!” Maeve giggled again as she shook her head, “Nope! But neither do you!” she pointed accusingly at him, “it’s the grown-up word for pretty- I think,” she explained. “That doesn’t make sense- scars aren’t pretty.” Maeve shrugged, “Well my mom said they are- sexy, I mean,” The boy nodded.
“Y’know, you should've seen what happened at the well today.” She changed the topic, remembering the excitement and gore from earlier. “What? What happened at the well?” Carl asked almost frantically. “There was a walker in it! And they tried to get it out, an’ it was all bloated and fat and ugly! It looked like you,” She giggled at the joke she made, flicking the hat on his head. “They tried to get it out with a rope, but it split in half! Your mom covered my eyes and made me come inside, but I saw it! Its guts were everywhere! I bet it stunk up close,” as she finished her rant, the boy stared at her with wide eyes. “WHAT? LUCKY!” he exclaimed, “I wanna see walker guts.” he pouted, upset he had missed such an exciting event. The girl shrugged, “Don’t worry, you’ll see some someday I bet.” “yeah, I guess,” he continued to pout.
Soon, the two were back to sitting in silence. “My dad told me what you did,” the boy spoke suddenly, “I uh- he said I needed to say thank you, 'cause you saved my life or whatever,” Maeve almost laughed at his embarrassment. She knew he held being tough very high on his list of priorities, so it was understandably hard to accept help from one of the people he wanted to impress the most. She resisted the giggles (and slight bragging) and simply smiled. “ ‘course,” she nudged his arm gently, “didn’t need all that extra blood anyways,” she joked. The boy giggled, happy to have his best friend.
Chapter 11: chapter 11- sophia
Summary:
shane loses it and opens the barn... :(
Notes:
HELLO!! im alive ;)
yeah so i got kicked out of my house LMFAOO but were all good now, my mom let me come back since it was my dad who kicked me out but yk he can suck it
I also wanted to extend a very happy pride month to everyone !!!!! yeah fun fact I'm actually a lesbian, but yk writing is fun so I write ff for men HAHAHAHAHAHAH
but ya I hope everyone is doing well! take care of yourselves and don't forget to be proud of who you are!! <3
Chapter Text
“Oh shit,” T-dog spoke, and Shane looked to see what he was staring at. He began sprinting. “What the hell is that,”
-
It had been around a week since Carl’s accident. Since his operation, he had slowly gotten his strength back- he was even able to walk around now.
Maeve felt herself growing more comfortable with the group, especially the Greenes. She thought about what life would be like on the farm- how the next few years would be, not having to worry about food or shelter.
She thought the farm would be a forever thing, that she and Car would grow up together on that farm. This afternoon changed that, however.
-
Soon everyone was following the man as he began to yell, “What the hell are you doing??” Rick looked to him, holding the long, metal pole tight. The pole with a walker on the other end.
“Shane just back off!” he replied, clearly frustrated. “Why do your people have guns?” Hershel yelled to Rick over Shane’s angry pants. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” Maeve flinched as he yelled louder, holding onto a still-unstable Carl. “YOU SEE WHAT THEY’RE HOLDIN’ ONTO?”
“I see WHO I'm holding onto-” Herschel yelled back. “No man, you don’t.” he jogged in circles around the chaos as everyone else watched from a few feet away; this was bad, but they couldn’t do anything about it.
“Shane, just let us do this and then we can talk,” Rick spoke sternly, but Shane only got angrier. “What you wanna talk about Rick? These things ain’t sick- they ain’t people.” He stopped finally, standing between them and the barn. “They’re dead. You ain’t gonna feel nothin’ for em’. Cause all they do? They kill!” He began pacing again, turning to the small crowd of people. “These things right here- they killed Amy. They killed Otis,” Maeve felt herself holding onto the boy even tighter. She was scared, but not of the walkers. Shane looked at her. “They killed your mama- you know they did.” She felt Lori’s arm wrap around her. “SHANE SHUT UP!” Rick yelled.
“Man lemme ask you something- can a living, breathing person walk away from this?” Suddenly, he pulled out his pistol. Everyone flinched when he fired three shots into the chest of the walker that Hershel held onto. “That’s three rounds to the chest. Someone who’s alive, could they just take that? Why’s it still comin’?” He fired three more shots. “That’s its heart! Its lungs! Why’s it still coming?” Three more shots. “SHANE ENOUGH!” Ric yelled again. “Yeah you're right man,” Shane spoke as he walked closer to the two men, “That is enough.” with that, he shot it in the head, ending it.
Maeve knew what he was saying was right- walkers weren’t people, they were dead, and they did kill. But he was still wrong. Something had snapped in him, and she didn’t like it.
“Enough, risking our lives for a little girl who’s gone! Enough!” Maeve felt the tears finally spill, running down her face at the mention of Sophia. “Enough living next to a barn filled with things that are trying to kill us! Enough!” Shane turned to Rick once again, “Rick it ain’t like it was before.” Rick shook his head at the shell of a man before him; a shell of what was once his best friend. “Now if you wanna survive, f you wanna live- you gotta fight for it!” Everyone began to panic as he turned around, running towards the doors of the barn. “Hershel take the snare pole! Herschel! Take the pole!” Rick yelled desperately as the man kneeling beside him, staring in disbelief at the corpse lying in the dirt. Rick’s pleas grew increasingly desperate as Shane picked up a rusty pickaxe and began hitting the chains that held the doors shut. Rick begged him to stop, but he didn’t. He was too far gone.
“DON’T DO IT!” Everyone else had joined in on the pleading, Lori yelling Rick’s name as she held onto the two children. “Get behind me,” she spoke, pushing the two of them so her body was between them and the tragedy waiting to happen. Shane held his pistol up as the doors slowly creaked open.
Soon Andrea was by his side, her gun raised, and Daryl, T-dog- even Glenn. They had no choice.
Shane turned around and shot the walker on the end of Rick’s pole, and he joined in as well. Gunshots echoed throughout the farm and walkers dropped like flies. Maeve held onto Carl as they stood behind Lori, listening to the loud snarling and bangs. Carl had begun to cry as well, the two weeping together as they waited for it all to end.
“Carl,” the girl called out. She didn’t know why, it almost just felt comforting to say his name out loud; she reminded herself that he was there. “Maeve,” he responded, backing up a bit to look at her. “Maeve we have to help them-” She shook her head. “Carl-” “We have to help them!” The boy was hysterical now, turning to run towards his father. Maeve grabbed his arm. “Carl, please-” she cried, “stay with me, I can’t-” That was all he needed; soon, his arms were back around his best friend.
After what felt like an eternity, the growling stopped, and so did the gunshots. Maeve lifted her head, looking towards the barn. She could just see the doors as she looked around Lori who still stood in front of them. Suddenly, there was more growling.
This one was quiet- only one last walker, she thought. But even so, something about this one was different. It almost sounded… familiar? She was confused, but not for long. She understood soon enough, however- when she saw two familiar sneakers stumble out of the darkness.
It was small- short blonde hair, with a blue shirt and cargo pants. Sophia’s blonde hair. Sophia’s blue shirt. Sophia’s pants, shoes, face- no, it wasn’t her face. Her face was clean, with freckles and a warm smile. It didn’t have saggy, maggot-covered flesh- this wasn't Sophia. It wouldn't be.
She watched as it stumbled around, growling and snarling. Its eyes were white and foggy- those weren’t Sophia’s eyes.
Maeve had never seen her mother as a walker- or her uncle. She knew they had become walkers, but she didn’t see it. This was new. She never imagined she’d see Sophia as one- ever. Yet, here she was.
She felt Carl cry beside her, but she had stopped crying. Her eyes dry as she could only stare. She heard Carol begin to whimper, yelling her daughter’s name. She ran forward, Daryl stopping her from reaching that thing.
She felt Lori wrap her arms around the two children once again, Carl reaching for her hand. She let him take it, crying as he squeezed it. “Don’t watch.” Lori cried, frantically trying to cover their eyes. Carl reached for Maeve’s other hand as well, and she let him take it once again.
And just like that, it was over. With one shot- one loud, echoing bang, it ended. Sophia ended.
“I thought I’d find her,” Carl spoke. The girl next to him lifted her head up, having previously been staring at the now covered corpse that lay a few yards in front of them.
“We all did,” she said, shrugging. “I did- at least,” The boy shook his head. “I mean me- that I’d be the one,” he told her, turning to meet her gaze. “Like- maybe she was hiding somewhere- in a cave or a tree.” he dipped his head back down, staring at the ground. “She’d be safe and I’d find her- and bring her back.” The girl frowned at the shaky tone in his voice. The boy that was usually loud, with a wide smile on his face, was once again silenced by the world around him. First, it was a gunshot, now it was the death of his friend.
“He did the right thing,” he whispered. “Shooting her like that,” Maeve’s eyebrows furrowed as he spoke, “I would’ve done it too.” “Maeve, Car,l” Lori interrupted before the girl could respond. “Maeve will you take Carl back up to the house?” she nodded at her request, standing up and helping Carl do the same. “I want you to rest,” she told her son while petting the top of his head. “Okay,”
Chapter 12: chapter 12- hope
Summary:
(time skip to season two)
the group finds the prison!!
Notes:
hii so im really sorry this is kinda a short chapter, it's rlly just to set up the new season 2 era (YIPEEEE)
yeah, so I hope you enjoy!
**TIMESKIP TO SEASON TWO BTW**
Chapter Text
It had been about eight months since the farm was overrun. Maeve was hungry, everyone was hungry. The winter was hard- probably the worst thing the group had dealt with. Lori was healthy though- her baby was healthy. That was really all that mattered to Maeve.
She hoped that Lori’s baby would be a source of hope; a sign that there was a future, as long as they stuck around to see it.
No one was more excited about the baby than Carl, though. He would brag to anyone he could. “Big brother Carl- pretty cool, huh?” he would tell Maeve, his chest puffed out in dignity.
He would also talk about how he hoped it was a boy, and Maeve would hope for a girl. Lori would have to shut them up, as they’d start small back-and-forth feuds about the topic.
“You don’t want a sister?” she would ask him. He’d just shrug, “I already got you- you’re pretty much a sister, I want a brother.” Maeve would then roll her eyes, but inside, she smiled. She was honored that he considered her to be pretty much family.
Today wasn’t one of those days, however.
Carl stood in front of the group of adults, Maeve by his side as they watched for any signs of danger. The adults discussed their plans moving forward- where to go, what to do, how to avoid herds- all that fun stuff.
After a few minutes, Daryl and Rick decided to go out hunting while the others went down to the river to get more water.
“You think it’s gonna be like this forever?” Carl asked as the two kids sat in the back of Hershel’s truck, waiting for everyone to return. “Like what?” the girl asked, puzzled. He nodded to the woods around them, “going from place to place- scavenging whatever food we can find, pretty much starving.” he told her. She understood. “I don’t think this’ll be forever,” she answered, “we’ll find somewhere- somewhere safe. Just like the farm was,” she leaned over, nudging him with her shoulder, “gotta find somewhere safe for our baby sister, yeah?” she giggled at her own joke, and he scoffed. “Brother,” he corrected her, “it’s gonna be a boy- I know it,”
-
“Watch the backside!” Rick ordered as he began cutting the fence with the pliers. Maeve stood next to Carl and Lori, a gun with a large silencer on the end in her hands. She and Carl shared that gun, and right now was her turn to use it as he helped the very pregnant woman towards and through the fence. Soon she was the only one still outside the fence- besides Rick, who held the newly cut gap open. “C’mon!” he yelled, and she joined the others inside.
Glenn used the yellow wire to seal the hole, yelling when a walker slammed against the now-mended fence.
The group began jogging, looking for an entrance to the actual courtyard; they were currently in between two fences, with about ten feet of gravel between them. When they reached the end of the corridor, Rick began giving instructions.
He told them the plan- close the open gate to prevent any more walkers from getting in, pick off the ones already inside, and clear the field. It was a solid plan, and they knew they could get it done by tonight.
He sent Maggie, Beth, and Glenn to the other side of the field, drawing as many walkers over as they could and stabbing them through the chainlink fence. Daryl and Carol were sent to one of the few towers nearby. Maeve, along with Carl and Hershel, were assigned to the tower right next to their current location. Rick was to close the gate.
Maeve watched Rick weave through the walker in the corner of her eye- her sight focused on the walkers below her. She squinted, taking her time in order not to waste any ammo. She had become a pretty good shot, courtesy of Rick. Carl stood beside her, focusing just as hard.
She let out a cheer as she saw Rick slide the gate shut, sealing it with the makeshift lock they’d made with two metal clips and a chain. He disappeared, entering the tower next to the gate. “He did it!” she shouted, shooting Carl a quick smile. He returned it, beaming at his dad’s accomplishment. Then, they went back to shooting the remaining walkers.
-
Everyone cheered and laughed as they entered the now quiet field. “Fantastic!” Carol exclaimed, “Haven't had this much space since we left the farm!” she jogged forward, admiring their new space.
Maeve smiled, happy to see her doing so well. She hadn’t quite been the same since Sophia, but she had certainly made progress, and Maeve was proud.
“Told you it wasn’t forever,” the girl spoke, turning to the boy next to her. He smiled back at her, “yeah,” he chuckled, “perfect for our baby brother.” he sighed, mocking her. She elbowed him playfully. “Shut up- jerk,”
Chapter 13: chapter 13- prisoners
Summary:
the group runs into some trouble while exploring deeper into the e prison, Hershel loses his leg, and we learn more about Maeve's past ooooooo
Notes:
HIII hope you all are doing well :) this week is finals week for me so BOOOOO buttt its also the last week of school so YAYYYYY
so after this week I should be able to update pretty often (YIPEEEE)
love you all and pls remember to drink water, eat food and take care of yourselves <3 you are all loved and appreciated by someone, don't forget that!
Chapter Text
Maeve liked the prison- it was safe, spacious, hopeful- it was a breath of fresh air. She was drowning in a sea of worry and now she was afloat again. For the first time in almost a year, she wasn’t overcome with complete anxiety.
She did still worry, however- mostly for Lori. She was getting bigger and the baby was almost here. She was excited for the baby to come, that was the scary part.
She saw the baby as a sign of hope- everyone did, but what would happen if it didn’t work out? What if the baby died? What if the baby only brought bad things? There was no way to know. No matter how much good could be expected, twice as much bad was guaranteed.
She liked to sit in the west corner of the field, almost hidden in the uncut grass as she looked out through the chainlink fence that surrounded the place. There were walkers- dozens of them, lined up around the fence, but she looked past the moving masses of rotting flesh.
She saw the small pond out front, the beautiful tree line. She watched as a few squirrels ran up and down the tall trees, chattering at each other.
“What’re you doing out here?” she almost jumped at the sudden voice behind her, relaxing once she realized who it was. “Jesus, Carl-” she exhaled as she held her hand clutched near her heart. The boy chuckled, “Did I scare you?” She only shook her head and rolled her eyes as he sat down next to her.
“Really though- why’re you sat staring at these freaks?” he asked, motioning to the line of snarling beasts in front of them. “ ‘m not lookin’ at them,” she told him, “I’m lookin' everywhere else.” He followed her gaze, smiling slightly as he spotted a small, yellow bird sitting in the small, dead tree a few yards in front of the fence.
“It’s a goldfinch,” she spoke, “One of my mom’s favorites- one of mine too.” The boy looked at her, a frown forming on his face when he noticed the saddened look she wore as she stared at the bird. “You know a lot about birds?” She shrugged, “A bit- not as much as my mama did.” she chuckled, a bittersweet smile beginning to crack across her rather sad-looking face. “She used to get so excited- we lived in the city, so there weren’t a whole lot of birds besides stupid pigeons, y’know?” she chuckled lightly once again, “every Sunday, we’d drive outside the city, towards the countryside. She had these big binoculars my uncle got her, and we’d bring a whole picnic, and we’d sit and just watch the birds.” She looked down at her hands, watching as she continued to fiddle with the long piece of grass she’d picked a while ago. A tear fell from her eye, sliding down to her lips which were sat with a sweet smile. “She liked those goldfinches the best- said it was cause they were so easy to recognize, with the yellow,” her voice broke as more tears began to spill out.
Suddenly, his arms were around her. She hesitated a moment before returning the favor, shoving her damp face into his shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, until she let go.
“Sorry-” she apologized as she wiped her eyes, “I didn’t mean to-” she sighed, “I just miss her.”
Carl reached out again, placing a gentle hand on her back and rubbing smooth circles. His mother did that to him when he cried.
“Do you wanna talk about her more? She sounds like a great mother,” Carl tried his best to comfort the girl, “what was her name?” She wiped her eyes once more before answering, “Judith, but she hated it. Said it was too bland- everyone just called her Judy.” She suddenly chuckled, as if she remembered something funny, “Except for my uncle though- loved to tease her. He was the only one that called her Judith.” Carl nodded, “what was he like?” She smiled, “he was the best- Uncle Finn was the best.” Carl smiled as he watched her silently reminisce. “My dad was never around- he skipped town once he found out my mama was pregnant with me. Never knew him- I don’t blame him, though- he was young, just like my mama. Messed my mama up real bad, though- my grandparents kicked her out. I never knew them either. So, my mama lived with my uncle- her big brother who lived in the city.” She looked at him, smiling, “he met my aunt Melly when I was little, and they were like my second parents.” Carl smiled at her, “that seems nice- three parents that love you,” “yeah,” she agreed, ”it was great.”
Carl looked down, thinking for a moment. “Hey- maybe we can name our baby brother Finn, after your uncle,” She shook her head, “No- my baby brother’s name is Michael.” “What?” he was confused, looking at her, waiting for her to elaborate. “Michael was my baby brother- my cousin, really- Melly and Finn’s son, but he was my brother.”
“I’m so sorry, Maeve- I didn’t know, I-” he stopped when they heard yelling coming from the building behind them. Maeve stood up, “Shit- c’mon Carl,” she shouted, pulling him to his feet. They ran, finding the entrance to the cell block unusually deserted. “Lori?!” the girl called out, worried something had happened with the pregnant lady. She was wrong.
“Daddy!” They heard Beth Shreik in front of them. They looked just in time to see an unconscious Hershel being whee sled into the cell block.
“Oh my god-” Maeve watched everyone yelling as they ran around frantically. She was frozen, standing in the large corridor as Hershel continued to bleed from his leg- or, what used to be his leg.
“In here!” Rick shouted instructions to everyone, and to no one's surprise they all listened. “He got bit,” Daryl told to no one in particular. “Ok- lift him up here on three- one two three-” Rick strained as he said the last number, lifting the man up onto the bottom bunk of a bed with the help of a few others.
Maeve took a few steps forward, still frozen. She stood a few feet in front of the open cell door, the cell now filled with too many people trying to help Hershel.
Now that she could really get a good look, she saw his leg had been reduced to a bloody stump. From what she could see it had been chopped off, probably by Rick or Daryl. She knew the chances of Hershel’s survival were low.
It felt like forever that she stood there, outside the cell. She didn’t know what to do- Hershel was a big factor in the whole hope-baby thing. Without him, Lori delivering the baby safely was less likely. “shit.”
Maggie stood a few feet in front of her, leaning against the doorway. From the looks of it, she was breathing hard- probably panicking. Maeve couldn’t think of anything else to do, so she stepped forward, grabbing Maggie's hand.
“He’s gonna be okay,” she told the older girl. Maggie nodded, tears flowing down her face as she turned around to kneel down and hug the girl.
When Maggie pulled away to try and help everyone, a sudden realization struck Maeve; where was Daryl?
“Daryl?” she called out, looking around the cell block. Where was he? She looked at the flurry of people surrounding Hershel- she couldn't be of any help to him, but she might be to Daryl.
“Rick,” she called, but was ignored. Everyone was too busy. “mierda,” she mumbled.
She had to find Daryl- clearly something had gone wrong while the group was away. She ran into her cell, grabbing the knife she had under her pillow. Lori would kill her if she knew about it, but she needed it for times like this.
She ran out of the cell block, slowing down once she reached the dark halls. She walked with her arms in front of her, her left hand clenched into a fist with her right holding her knife. She stopped when she heard talking.
“What you got going on in there?” This voice was unfamiliar- not a good sign. “It ain’t none of your concern.” that one was familiar- even worse sign. She peeked around the corner, trying her best to remain hidden. She saw a group of five men, all wearing light blue jumpsuits; prisoners. Across the room she saw Daryl, crossbow raised up and loaded, aimed right at them. This didn’t look too good.
“Don’t you tell me what’s my concern,” one of the prisoners spoke, stepping forward as he reached for something. Maeve stepped out from her hiding place, knife raised. When she realized what she did, she cursed her instincts.
“Maeve-?” Daryl shouted, sparing her a quick glance over his shoulder, “Damnit girl,” “who’s this? You have children here?” the same man from before asked, eyeing the girl. Daryl stepped forward once again, “I told you it ain't your goddamn concern!” he shouted. Everyone stepped closer to one another once again, weapons raised. Maeve was right next to Daryl by now.
“Chill man- dude’s leg is messed up,” a different man spoke up- the tallest one. He looked scary.
“Besides, we're free now. Why’re we still in here?” he continued, trying to reason with the other guy. “That man’s got a point,” Maeve spoke, earning a glare from Daryl.
“Yeah, and I gotta check on my old lady,” another man spoke.
“A group of civilians breaking into a prison you got no business being in, got me thinkin' there ain’t no place for us to go.” the guy from before said, staring daggers at Daryl. “Why don’t you go find out?” Daryl sneered.
“Maybe we’ll just go now-” a different man spoke- he had a funny-looking mustache that stuck out at the sides. Maeve almost had to hold back a giggle at his appearance.
“Hey, we ain’t leaving-” “You ain't comin’ in either.” T-dog suddenly spoke, appearing out of the same doorway Maeve had come in through. He had a pistol pointed at the men in front of them. The main prisoner- the one arguing with Daryl, raised his gun right back at him. “This is my house! My rules! I go where I damn well please-” he yelled. Suddenly, he stepped forward. Before anyone could really react, he elbowed Daryl in the nose and grabbed Maeve. He turned her around, holding her to face T-dog and Daryl as he held his pistol against her temple. “De puta madre!” she cursed, stuggling against his grip. “Here’s the deal- you let us into our cell block, and this little puta might live,” he spoke. Daryl shook his head, visibly seething. “If you don't get your damn hands off of her-” “Hey hey hey-” Suddenly Rick ran into the room, holding his hand up at the man holding the girl, telling him to stop. “Relax- there’s no need for this, let go of the girl and let’s talk,” The man stared at Rick, contemplating his options. Rick tried to keep his composure as he was visibly seething at the man; he protected Maeve like she was his own- it would be the same if that man had Carl in his arms.
“How many of you are in there?” the man asked. “Too many for you to handle,” Rick answered, glaring at him. The man looked between the three men in front of him, confused. “You guys rob a bank or something? Why don’t you take him to a hospital?” he asked, nodding towards the cell block which held a still-unconscious Hershel. Rick took a breath, calming himself down a bit before responding, “How long have you been locked in that cafeteria?” The man loosened his grip on the girl slightly, just enough so it wasn’t visible to everyone else. “Goin’ on like ten months or so,” “a riot broke out,” the tall and scary yet surprisingly soft-spoken man spoke up, “never seen anything like it.” Now it was mustache’s turn, “Attica on speed, man,” “Ever heard about dudes going cannibal? Dying and coming back to life? Crazy,” the shortest of the group spoke. “One guard locked us up in the cafeteria told us to sit tight, threw me this piece- said he’d be right back.” the leader told them. “Yeah, and that was 292 days ago.” the tall one added. “94 according to my calcula-” “Shut up!” the leader yelled at Mustache. “We were thinking that the army or national gaur should be showin' up any day now,” Rick shook his head, “there is no army,” “What do you mean?” “there's no government, no hospitals, no police,” Rick told them, “it’s all gone.” The room went silent.
“For real?” Mustache spoke up finally and Maeve had to stifle a small laugh once again at the man's funny southern accent. “ ‘m serious,” Rick confirmed, nodding. “What about my moms?” one of the prisoners spoke, “My kids? And my old lady? You got a cell phone or something that we can call our families with?” Daryl scoffed at him, “You just don’t get it do you?” Rick spoke up again, “No phones, no computers- as far as we can see at least half the population's been wiped out,” he told them, “probably more.”
The man holding onto Maeve's arms fell, and she ran forward, making sure to spit at his feet before jogging away. Lori would probably yell at her if she saw that. All of the prisoners stood there, shocked. “Aint no way-” “See for yourself,” Rick told them.
Chapter 14: chapter 14- baby
Summary:
Judith is born, and Lori... :(
Notes:
HIII sorry it's been a minute, writers block has been kicking my ass :')
enjot though! hope you're all doing well! pls take care of yourselves and eat food and drink water!! Love you! <3
Chapter Text
“You guys clear out all those bodies?” Hershel asked as he hobbled alongside Lori, Beth, Maeve, and Carl on his new crutches. He looked proud as he looked out over the newly-cleared prison yard. “This place is really starting to look like a place we can live in.” he nodded solemnly.
“Hey you watch your step- the last thing we need is you falling,” Lori warned him, holding her arm out near him in case he was to suddenly slip. “All right, Hershel!” they heard Glenn shout from across the yard. Maeve smiled, happy to see everyone so excited for the old man; there was rarely much excitement nowadays.
“You’re doing good, Daddy,” Beth spoke softly to her father. “Read to race, Hershel?” Carl joked. “Give me another day and I’ll easily take you on,” the old man answered. He looked at the boy, smiling.
However Not all good things last forever, so Maeve almost didn’t flinch at the sounds of shuffling feet and low groans behind her. “Walkers! Look out!” Carl yelled, turning around. Maeve reached down for her pistol- Rick had finally let her keep one on her after the incident with the prisoners- she raised it up and began taking out as many walkers as she could. However, there were too many- the fence was no longer secure.
“Beth, you and Hershel get inside!” she yelled, and Beth grabbed her father, running with him to the nearest guard tower.
“That gate is open,” T-dog observed. Maeve followed his eyes and saw that he was right. How did that happen?
“Lori- in here!” she looked over to where Maggie was yelling and saw her holding a small open gate leading into one of the cell blocks. Lori ran and Carl followed. Before he could run past her, she grabbed his shoulder. “Be safe, take care of your mother,” she told him quickly and he nodded before joining his mother and Lori.
As she continued to pick off as many walkers as possible, Maeve slowly made her way over to / two prisoners who had shown up in all the chaos. “What the hell did you tontosdo?” the man with the mustache only kept the same, dazed look on his face. “We didn’t do nothin'- we swear,” he spoke, shaking his head at the girl.
Soon, Rick, Glenn, and Daryl showed up on the same side of the fence as the two men. “Out of my way,” Rick ordered angrily and the two stepped aside without a word. “Maeve, go get inside!” Glenn yelled to the girl. She shook her head. “No, I’m gonna help! I can get your guys’ back while you close the gate,” “We got it covered, Maeve. Get inside.” Daryl told her sternly as Rick finally slid the gate open. Maeve shook her head, annoyed, and ran parallel to them anyways. Once she reached another gate, she joined them on their side of the fence.
“Damnitt Maeve,” Glenn cursed, but there wasn’t much he could do; there was no time to sit and lecture her.
“What the hell happened?” Rick yelled to Beth as he passed the small box she and Hershel were still locked in. “the gate was open!” she told him.
“Where’s Lori, Carl- everyone else?” he asked. Maeve ran ahead of him, taking out some walkers before they could reach him. “Maggie took Lori and Carl into C-block,” Hershel told him “and T was bit,” Beth added. Maeve felt her heart twinge and her legs stuttered to a temporary stop before continuing on. “Anyone else?” Rick asked. “Coldn’t tell,” Maeve felt sorry when she heard the panicked wave in Beth’s voice.
“Those chains didn't break on their own, someone took an axe or cutters to 'em,” Glenn spoke in between pants. Rick turned, looking back towards the still baffled prisoners standing near the gate.
“You think they did it?” Glenn asked. Maeve shook her head, but Rick spoke before she could, “Who else?” She looked at him, her mouth open. She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but Glenn gave her a look, warning her. Those two seemed like good people, but she decided against arguing with Rick.
Suddenly, none of it mattered when they heard a loud alarm start blaring. “What’s that?” Glenn looked around, startled. Everyone else did pretty much the same. “Oh you gotta be kidding me!” Daryl began pacing around, searching for the origin of the noise. “There!” Maeve yelled, pointing to some speakers lining the roof of the nearest cell block. The three men began shooting as many as they could, but the noise persisted. They couldn't destroy every little speaker in time.
Maeve shot one, feeling proud when she saw the sparks fly and the speaker shut off. She looked back, her smile dropping when she saw Rick running towards the two prisoners with his gun raised.
“Rick!” she yelled. She felt both Glenn and Daryl try to stop her when she ran past them, but she didn’t care. When he reached the two men, she was only a few feet behind him.
“How the hell is this happening?” he yelled, shoving his gun toward them. Maeve reached them, standing next to Rick as she tried to catch her breath, ready to jump in if things went south.
“It has to be the backup generators,” one of them told him. “Well, how do you turn those on?” Rick was not any calmer. “There’s- there’s three that’s connected to the diesel tank, okay? Each one controls a different part of the prison. The hacks shut ‘em all off when the prison was overrun!” “Can someone open up the main gates electrically with full power?” Rick continued to yell. The man put his hands up, slightly panicked. “I-I only worked in there a few days- I guess it might be possible,” Suddenly, Ric grabbed him by the collar and began running towards the main building. “Come with us!”
-
“Hershel!” the group stopped to catch their breath once they were back in the yard where Beth and Hershel were. “You didn’t find them?” the man asked. Beth ran forward, wrapping her arms around Maeve. “You okay?” she whispered. The girl nodded. She had really come to love Beth like a sister; she always made sure to watch out for Maeve and Carl, taking the younger kids under her wing.
“We thought maybe they came back out here,” Glenn told them. Maggie, Lori, and Carl were still missing. Beth and Hershel shook their heads, wearing worried frowns. “What about T? Carol?” Herschel asked. “They didn’t make it,” Daryl told them. Rick shook his head before turning back around to the group, “that doesn’t mean the others didn’t. We’re going back. Daryl and Glenn you come-” Everyone froze when the sound of an infant crying came behind them.
Maggie and Cark were walking out of C-block, Carl’s hands bloody as he held his pistol at his side and a bloody baby in Maggie’s arms. Maeve’s heart dropped- as did everyone’s.
Maggie inched forward, her lip quivering like a child who was about to be in big trouble for something. Carl had his head hanging down, his eyes locked on the ground. He looked almost ashamed. Where was Lori? Surely she was fine- just too tired to walk out with them. Right?
Rick stepped forward as Maggie began to sob. He shook his head, pacing around as he mumbled something to himself. Finally, he spoke out loud, “Where- where is she? Where is she?” his voice was breaking as he looked between the two with wide, unbelieving eyes. Maggie choked back some more sobs as she quivered in front of him. He tried to walk past her and she reached out, attempting to grab him. She failed, not wanting to drop the newborn. “No- Rick, no!” she pleaded, trying to stop him. Rick stepped past Carl, the boy’s eyes still on the ground. The man sobbed, folding over. “Oh no- no…” he put his hands on his knees as he cried, “No, no..”
Glenn stepped forward, putting his hands on Maggie’s cheeks. She continued to weep as she looked at him, her words failing her. She leaned forward. Letting him gently embrace her.
As Rick collapsed, crying as he let his grief overcome him, Maeve ran forward to Carl.
“Carl,” her voice was barely above a whisper, “Carl,” she couldn’t find the words- she only said his name. She felt her own tears finally start to spill, crying as the boy sprung forward, wrapping his arms around the girl. His body shook as he cried, his hands grabbing at the back of her shirt.
Lori was gone. Her mom was gone. Everyone was gone. The baby that was supposed to bring hope wasn’t what she thought it would be- the baby was here and perfectly fine, but at a terrible price. She was right to worry before, and she was mad at all the adults who told her not to.
Maeve decided there was no hope- there was only the world, and the world sucked.
Chapter 15: chapter 15- promise
Summary:
Glenn, Maggie and Maeve run into trouble while they go out to find baby formula and are reunited with an old friend
Notes:
HELLOOOO sorry it's been a while but enjoy the new chap :) new ones coming soon
ALSO
I was considering changing Maeve to y/n, but I wanted to know y'alls thoughts. pls leave a comment on what you think bc I can't decide LMAO
love yall and don't forget to take care of yourself <3
Chapter Text
Chapter 15
“We just hit the powdered formula jackpot,” Glenn announced, carrying one of the red baskets filled with cans of baby formula. “Oh, thank god,” Maggie agreed. Maeve smiled at the both of them, helping to lift all the supplies into the car.
After the baby was born, Hershel had told them they needed formula ASAP or the baby wouldn't survive. They weren’t going to let Lori die just for her baby, the last piece of her, to die as well. Glenn and Maggie were supposed to go alone, but Maeve had begged them to let her come. She wanted to help out- she was making it her mission to keep this baby girl alive. Glenn was unsure at first, but in the end, he agreed that she would need to get used to going on runs eventually. Why not start now? Plus, she could be useful in case they need her to squeeze into tight spaces to get things.
“I also got beans, batteries, cocktail wieners, many mustards,” he handed two more baskets to Maggie. “I’ll get the rest,” Maeve told them excitedly and Glenn nodded making sure to ruffle her hair when she walked by. “it’s a straight shot back to the prison from here, probably make it back in time for dinner,” he told Maggie once the girl was gone. Maggie shrugged, “I like the quiet. Back there- back home, you can always hear them outside the fence no matter where you are.”
“And where is it you good people are calling home?” Suddenly, a man stepped out from around the corner. Maggie gasped, horrified when she saw Maeve in his arms, a blade against her neck. She looked at the two of them with wide, horrified eyes.
“Oh ho ho-” the man chuckled, looking at Glenn. Maeve was confused when she felt his grip on her loosen. “Merle?” Glenn looked at the man in disbelief. Shit- Merle? Like the one from Atlanta? Maeve had never met him- she was found right when he was left behind. Well, now she had. “Jesus-” Merle spoke with an excited tone. When he let go of the girl completely to put his hands up as Glenn pointed his gun at him, she ran back towards them, standing behind Glenn.
“You made it,” Glenn mumbled still in utter shock. “You know this guy?” Maggie asked, confused.
Merle ignored her, however, “Can you tell me, is my brother alive? Huh?” “yeah,” Glenn spoke in a blunt tone. “Hey, uh- you take me to him and we’ll call it even- about everything that happened out in Atlanta,” he tried to bargain. When he got no answer, he chuckled. “Oh you like that?” he motioned to his makeshift sword arm that he seemed to be wearing- he had a big wad of metal around the end of his arm and a blade coming out the end- it was sort of terrifying. “Yeahh- well uh, I found myself a medical supply warehouse, fixed it up myself.” he nodded, looking very proud of himself, “pretty cool, huh?” Merle was the only one amused, however. Glenn had an uneasy expression on his face- a reasonable one, from what Maeve had heard.
“We’ll tell Daryl to come out and meet you,” Merle began to stutter, “wait wait- I- just hold on-” “Woah woah-” Glenn was almost yelling, trying to stop him from coming any closer. “Hey- the fact that we found each other here is a miracle, trust me, okay?” Glenn shook his head. :no- you trust
, okay? You stay here.” Merle’s face twisted at Glenn’s words- it was almost disturbing. Just by looking at him, you could tell something wasn’t right. Suddenly, he lunged forward. “NO!” Merke yelled, taking a pistol from his belt and shooting. He was aiming for Glenn, but he and Maeve both jumped out of the way. Maeve heard the back windshield of their car shatter behind her.
They tried to get in the car, but Maeve felt a hand grab her again. She huffed as she was yanked backward, back to being held with Merle’s knife hand near her throat. This time, however- she also had a gun to her head.
“Now hold up, hold up,” he warned Maggie and Glenn as they ran towards them. They stopped, not daring to move any closer and put Maeve in any more danger.
“Let go of her,” Glenn was fuming, “LET GO OF HER!” “Put those guns in the car right now,” he told them. “GLENN DON-” Maeve began to yell but was silenced by his arm moving closer to her neck. She inhaled sharply, terrified to move. Glenn looked at her, his eyes wide and filled with worry. Maggie looked the same. She went first, putting her pistol in the backseat of the car with Glenn following shortly after. “Ok, we're gonna go for a little drive now-” “We’re not going back to our camp,” Glenn spoke in the calmest voice he could muster up. “No. we’re going somewhere else,” Merle agreed, “get in the car! You’re driving Glenn!” he yelled, “Move!” Glenn tensed as he watched Merle press the gun harder against the girl’s temple. “Don’t-” he exhaled, calming himself. He was going to get Maeve out of here alive, and being calm was the only way. “Okay,” he agreed
-
“You don’t even know why you’re here do you?” Merle spoke, a sly grin on his face. Maeve just stared at him, a blank expression on her face.
He had her tied up in a room somewhere- she didn’t know exactly where, since he’d blindfolded her, but she estimated the general direction from the car ride.
“Your friend tells me you showed up right when I was left for walker bait,” he spoke, “Peoples is assholes- wouldn’t do that to an animal.” he frowned momentarily, as if speaking of those people brought a bitter taste into his mouth. “You got a name little lady?” it disturbed her how fast his attitude could shift.
She stayed silent, not going to give any information to this man- even some as unimportant as her name.
“Y’know it ain’t polite to ignore people- gotta respect your elders, honey.” he chuckled and Maeve shivered. “How old are you anyway, girly?” silence, once again. Merle sighed, sitting on the table in front of her. “Here’s the deal, missy. You tell me where my brother is and I’ll give ya a cookie,” he chuckled, “you wanna cookie kid?” he wheezed, clearly amused with himself. “Or, if the cookie ain’t enough, I won’t hurt your little friends. That asshole Glenn and the little farmer’s daughter- I mean if you ain’t gonna help me girl I’m gonna have to talk to them,” “No,” Maeve spoke finally, overcome with worry, “don’t touch them.” Merle shrugged, “Well then you gotta start blabbin', girly.” she shook her head. “Please- please, no,” she attempted to plead, getting louder when he shook his head and began to walk out.
She couldn’t tell him where the prison was- she wanted to protect Glenn and Maggie but she also needed to protect everyone else, especially Lori’s baby. She knew he wanted more than to see his brother- she would never let that man anywhere near her family.
Only, he already had two members of her family and was threatening them. Maeve didn’t know what else to do except cry like a little kid. She kicked and thrashed around, pleading to anyone who could possibly hear her to stop this, but it was helpless.
-
Maeve was so exhausted, she hadn’t even realized when she nodded off. She woke up with a startle at the sound of yelling and shuffling footsteps approaching the door. She yelled when she saw Merle dragging a bloody Glenn into the room.
“Maeve?” Glenn mumbled as he paused his useless struggle against Merle’s grip. “Don’t touch him- let him go!” Maeve pleaded but it was useless. She could only sit, tied up in her wooden chair, and helplessly cry.
“Not so quiet now, are we girly?” Merle chuckled as he sat Glenn down in a chair opposite to Maeve. He began to tie him down as well.
“Maeve, are you okay? You hurt?” Glenn asked desperately, scanning the girl for any visible injuries. “I'm fine,” she told him, shaking her head, “what did he do to you? Where’s Maggie?” Glenn shook his head, trying his best to muster up a reassuring smile. “She's fine- ill be fine too, okay?” he spoke in a soothing voice as the girl continued to cry.
She almost hated herself for crying- she wasn’t the one bleeding from her face- she should be comforting him.
“Sorry to interrupt this touching reunion,” Merle spoke, “but it’s time to start squealin’ kid. Now, I don’t wanna hurt ya- not sayin' I won’t if I don’t have to, but I don’t wanna mess up your pretty little face just ‘cause, ya know?” Maeve almost gagged as he continued to speak, “but I don’t got no problem hurting this asshole- ain’t that right, pal?” he laughed as he grabbed an exhausted Glenn’s cheeks, making him nod his head. Maeve choked back a sob as she shook her head. “Please don’t,” her cries grew louder as she spoke, “Please,”
“Maeve,” Glenn choked desperately through a mouth full of bloody saliva, “I’ll be fine, don’t worry, do not tell him anyth-” A loud ‘smack’ rang out as Glenn was interrupted by Merle’s fist in his face. Maeve shook, thrashing around as she screamed. “STOP!” she pleaded.
Merle kept coming despite her pleas. She heard a loud ‘crunch’ when he hit Glenn square in the nose. It was almost impressive how Glenn sat there taking it.
“Please stop,” her begging had begun to quiet, finding less and less of a point in her screams; it was helpless. She had to look away when Glenn bowed his head after a blow square in his gut.
“Please,” she sobbed, “you don’t have to do this- we can bring Daryl to you,” The girl felt her body shake with each sob. Merle finally stopped wailing on Glenn, clicking his tongue. “Now, this ain’t just about my brother no more, little lady. It’s about all of y’all,” Maeve didn’t even bother trying to understand what he meant by that, she just wanted to get Glenn out of there.
“DAMNITT GIRL! SPEAK!” she jumped, startled at his sudden yelling. She shook her head, keeping her eyes on the floor as she sobbed quietly. With that, Merle briskly walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
“Glenn,” She whispered between sobs. She stared at his suddenly still body, an intense worry ringing throughout her entire body. She was relieved when she heard a quiet groaning coming from him. “Glenn,” she whispered harshly, “Glenn I’m so sorry,” she cried as she watched him sit up. “I’m okay, it’s gonna be okay,” he mumbled to the best of his ability, his entire face now swollen and bloody beyond recognition. She then heard shuffling. She looked up, relieved to see it was just an exhausted Glenn attempting to walk over to her.
“Maeve,” his voice was just above a whisper, “Maeve look at me,” she sniffled, raising her head to look at the man kneeling in front of her. “It’s gonna be okay I promise,” he reached up weakly, petting her hair gently. “As long as we don’t tell them where our people are and they don’t hurt you we have nothing to worry about.” Maeve shook her head, “But look at you! Glenn I can’t- I can’t watch them hurt you again-” the girl sobbed, hysterical at the thought of any more harm coming to her friend. “Maeve I will be okay. I promise.” he reached up once again, extending his pinky finger to the girl. She thought for a moment before reaching up and linking her finger with his, accepting his promise.
“I promise,” he whispered once more time before she wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing him like there was no tomorrow.
Chapter 16: ANOUNCEMENT
Chapter Text
HEYY!! i apologize for being MIA for months, a lot has happened but im gonna try me best to keep coming back and updating for yall.
a few things….
1- im sorry for whoever this confuses, but from now on im going to be using y/n instead of maeve. I have a few reasons for this, the main one being i would just like this fic to be more of a carl x reader, as that was what i originally intended before giving Maeve a name
2- the story is going to be moving a lot quicker from now on. i think the main reason i lost motivation and interest was that the story was moving so slowly as i was trying to write the fic as if maeve was just an additional character to the show rather than focusing on solely her relationship with carl. i realize now that thats boring and no one wants to see that😅 so, there will be a lot bigger time skips and therell likely be one in between each chapter until maeve/y/n and carl get together. if anyone does care that much about the details and the backstory and just how their relationship slowly built over time in general, i may consider making a separate work once this story is finished and just fill in any gaps in time that are skipped. comment if yall want that ig🤷♀️
thats all for now, im sorry again you guys😭 hope you enjoy!
Chapter 17: announcement
Summary:
lil announcement
Chapter Text
UH HEYYY!! so i lowk abandoned this fic IM SO SORRY... life got busy and i lost motivation to write, alsoo i have a friend whos little sisters name is maeve and so now having maeves name be maeve is like weird ifywim?? also bc i had some PLANS for the future IF YKWIM... butttttttttt if the people want it i mightttt consider continuing and just changing the name? but idk comment if anyone would want me to continue this fic! i lowk put SOO much effort into it back then and im still lowk proud of it... lmk guys!!!
-hearts4carl <3
luxcurious on Chapter 1 Fri 07 Jul 2023 04:26PM UTC
Comment Actions
hearts4carl on Chapter 1 Sun 09 Jul 2023 06:14AM UTC
Comment Actions
luxcurious on Chapter 1 Sun 09 Jul 2023 01:15PM UTC
Comment Actions
✨Øłīvīâ✨ (Guest) on Chapter 2 Thu 04 May 2023 01:44AM UTC
Comment Actions
hearts4carl on Chapter 2 Fri 05 May 2023 06:08AM UTC
Comment Actions
Lulitax304 on Chapter 2 Fri 07 Jul 2023 04:28PM UTC
Comment Actions
hearts4carl on Chapter 2 Sun 09 Jul 2023 06:09AM UTC
Comment Actions
LeeooVaallddeezz on Chapter 3 Tue 15 Apr 2025 04:17AM UTC
Comment Actions
SLUTSPACE on Chapter 7 Wed 02 Aug 2023 08:05AM UTC
Comment Actions
Lily (Guest) on Chapter 8 Sun 14 Apr 2024 03:27AM UTC
Comment Actions
goldenface on Chapter 9 Wed 14 Jun 2023 02:59PM UTC
Comment Actions
EndoSkeleton on Chapter 10 Wed 31 May 2023 06:31AM UTC
Comment Actions
hearts4carl on Chapter 10 Thu 01 Jun 2023 03:59AM UTC
Comment Actions
goldenface on Chapter 10 Wed 14 Jun 2023 03:16PM UTC
Comment Actions
hearts4carl on Chapter 10 Wed 21 Jun 2023 03:24AM UTC
Comment Actions
Lilly (Guest) on Chapter 11 Sun 14 Apr 2024 03:54AM UTC
Comment Actions
goldenface on Chapter 13 Wed 14 Jun 2023 04:59PM UTC
Comment Actions
hearts4carl on Chapter 13 Wed 21 Jun 2023 03:25AM UTC
Comment Actions
Be_Gay_Fight_Fascists on Chapter 15 Sun 09 Jul 2023 04:06AM UTC
Comment Actions
Guest (Guest) on Chapter 15 Sun 09 Jul 2023 07:04PM UTC
Comment Actions
Reader18389 on Chapter 16 Thu 04 Jan 2024 03:27PM UTC
Comment Actions
breania_inekora on Chapter 16 Wed 23 Apr 2025 03:03PM UTC
Comment Actions
emiemilvr on Chapter 16 Sun 01 Jun 2025 02:33AM UTC
Comment Actions
hearts4carl on Chapter 16 Mon 25 Aug 2025 05:58AM UTC
Comment Actions